Change of Heart
by AnnieOdairX
Summary: Kaira is an agent helping out Steve when she gets roped into the mission of finding the winter soldier. All she knows about him is that he's an assassin, which is why Kaira is surprised when he ends up saving her life. Her struggle between helping Bucky realize who he is and with defeating him only becomes more complex when she goes undercover and starts falling in love with him.
1. prolouge

**This story will focus on Kaira, an undercover agent placed in Bucharest and her relationship with Bucky. I hope you guys like it! It will start out as a slow burn :)**

Kaira studied the file in front of her carefully. She had been sitting in the hospital waiting room for ages, trying to figure out what exactly happened. A few hours ago Steve, her closest friend, called her in a panic. He told her about how Nick Fury was in his apartment and was bleeding to death.

"What happened?" Kaira had asked him.

"Someone shot him. I need your help Kaira" He said, almost panting.

She had arrived at the hospital as soon as possible, and Steve approached her.

"Did you get a look at the shooter?" She asked him.

"He had a silver metal arm, and he was strong" Steve said "I couldn't catch him"

Kaira was a little shocked at that. Steve was the strongest and fastest person she knew, and if someone had been able to outrun him, it meant they were in trouble. She had met Steve a few months ago, when Tony Stark had called in for a favor. She was an intern first, working from his tower on revolutionary technology that could probably change the world. Working with an Avenger had its perk, the best one of them being that she got to meet the Captain. She had read endlessly about him and his best friend James Buchanan Barnes in history books since she was a little girl. Her favorite exhibit was probably the Captain America one.

What happened in New York when Loki attacked her and the city was her closest call with death and if it wasn't for Steve, she probably wouldn't be here. He saved her, and after that he only grew more protective of her.

Soon, on Steve's request, Tony had opened up her job responsibilities and let her in on the work the Avengers did. She had a very narrow skill set to offer to the team, but she did have the bragging rights to say she knew more tech stuff than Black Widow did.

She could blend in, she could go undercover, and she was a great actor.

She owed Steve her life, and now that they were best friends, there was no one she trusted more in the world. Which is why she was at the hospital, trying to figure out how Fury had died.

"Well, it's you" She heard a voice and looking up, she wasn't surprised to see Natasha approaching her.

"Hi, Nat"

"You know you don't need to be here, right?" She asked and took a seat next to her, grabbing the file from her hands.

"You know that Steve told me to come here, right?" She said, smiling back, because honestly Natasha was getting on her nerves.

"Steve thinks you're his sister and he doesn't know better" Natasha said, leaning back in the uncomfortable waiting room seat.

And thankfully Steve stepped in that moment to save Kaira from retorting something mean to Nat.

"Kaira, can I talk to you?" He said, obviously troubled. She nodded and followed him into a more private place.

"Do not mention this to anybody, but I think Shield is compromised" He said. "I can't trust anybody, not even Natasha"

"How do you know all this?" She asked.

"Fury told me right before that guy shot him" Steve said.

"I'll go find more information about the shooter" Kaira said, that was the least she could do. Steve looked troubled and Kaira would do anything for him.

"Thank you" He said and pulled her in for a hug. Steve was her like best friend and big brother rolled into one but she couldn't deny how attractive he was, so she let out a little squeak at the unplanned hug.

"No need" She breathed out as he held her in his embrace. She pulled away and pushed her hands deeper in the pockets of her bomber jacket.

"Let me know what you find" Steve said and she nodded.

It was 11 pm and Kaira sat in the Stark tower in front of the database. She flipped through all the files because no computer search had turned up anything. She had to literally dig deep into the archives and look at news reports.

"This sucks" She mumbled and pushed her hair out of her eyes. She took a look at herself in the screen of the computer and sighed.

"Any luck?" Tony said. She looked up and saw Tony standing at her doorway, a glass of vodka in his hand. Oh how she wished she had one.

"This guy is nowhere" She told him "I have no leads other than his metal arm" To her relief, Tony offered her his glass and she took it from him.

"I'm sorry, his what?" Tony said.

"He has a silver metal arm with a red star, Steve said" Kaira told him and downed the remaining alcohol.

"That is oddly specific but I know exactly who you're talking about" Tony said.

"What?" She said. She carefully kept the glass down separate from her workspace.

"They call him the Winter Soldier" Tony said and leaned against her table. He grabbed one of the files form her desk and flipped through "And you're definitely not going to find him in these files. He's a ghost story"

"What do you know about him?" She asked.

"He's an assassin. Killed over two dozen people over 50 years"

"Wow" She managed to say. That was impressive and terrifying at the same time.

"Look, a pretty girl like you should be up at my party. Yet you're here worrying about an assassin who Steve or me will never even let close to you" Tony said.

"That's the first mildly sweet thing you've said to me in my life" She grinned.

"Now get up, I didn't hire you to sit on desks and research. I hired you to make me look good" Tony said, and nudged her.

Kaira narrowed her eyes at him "You know my job here is literally a desk job?" Tony had got her working on various technology, which she did in the comfort of her cubicle-like office space.

"It is? Well whoever gave you that job is a terrible decision maker" He said as she stood up. He was well aware that he himself had assigned it but he was too drunk to understand that and she had no energy to explain.

"Forget about the ghost story, put on a pretty dress and come upstairs to the party" He instructed her, holding her by her shoulders.

Kaira nodded in agreement, working here had done no good since she still hadn't found anything and the Winter Soldier could wait. For now.

 **hi! I kind of have an entire story premise in head and I'm really excited because bucky barnes is precious and he definitely needs some love. please vote or comment to tell me what you expect from this story!**


	2. what is going on

**A week later**

* * *

Kaira didn't get many holidays in her work so when she got one, she wanted to make the most of it. She needed to relish in the joy of not having to go to Stark tower, listen to Tony's offensively flirtatious comments or tolerate Natasha's glares.

So she did the thing she knew best how to do. She slept till 11 am.

She lived in a tiny studio apartment just across Stark Tower, and regardless of Steve's endless offers to move in next to him, she loved her place. It was cute, cosy and manageable. She lifted the fluffy covers off of her and looked at the sunlight streaming in through the blinds. It was so quite.

Of course, the moment had to be ruined and the silence was broken by the Wonder Woman ringtone flooding her room.

"Shit" She mumbled when she realized her phone was not on her night stand and all the way across the room. She threw the blankets off her and practically jumped from her bed to the couch. The floor was way too cold for her right now. She grabbed the phone and it was her best buddy, Steve calling.

"Hi Stevee" She said, somewhat annoyed.

"Kaira, I need your help" Said the undeniably kind voice of Captain America, ignoring her tone. She could tell it was serious and she quickly grabbed her clothes.

"What's wrong?" She said, balancing the phone on her shoulder as she slipped out of her pajamas into jeans.

"Someone tried to bomb me and Natasha and-"

"What?" She interrupted him.

"We're okay, we got out, we're at a safe house. But I need you to meet me at this place, I'll send you the location"

"Okay Steve" She checked the location on her phone "I'll be there in 20"

Tossing the phone on her bed, she slipped into an olive green top and grabbed her leather jacket. The place was 18 minutes away and Kaira had two minutes to wake herself up completely. She ran to the bathroom and splashed ice cold water on her face, instantly regretting it. I'll probably need the gun, she thought and grabbed her glock. Putting her hair up in a high ponytail, she grabbed her phone and left the comfort of her apartment.

19 minutes later, she was racing up the stairs behind Natasha and Steve as they dragged a guy up. She had no idea what was going on, but she knew this wasn't the time to question. The guy they were holding was a young, bald guy with glasses. She followed Steve as they reached the rooftop. He was engaged in a very serious discussion with the man as he held him over the ledge. Kaira maintained her distance at the back, knowing she would be of no help to a super soldier and highly trained assassin. In fact, Tony used that exact moment to call her.

"Where is my favorite girl?" He chirped from the other end of the call.

"She's busy and now is not the best time" She replied, glancing at the situation every now and then.

"Too busy for her boss?" Tony asked, feigning hurt. Whatever Kaira was about to say next was cut off as she watched a guy in a literal birdsuit fly over the edge holding the person they had just thrown.

"Who the hell is that?" Kaira said, cutting the call with Tony.

"Hey, I'm Sam. You must be Kaira" He turned to acknowledge her "Wow, Steve was right, you really are pretty"

Kaira was dumbfounded as she stared at this apparent new addition to the team. She kind of already liked him.

"What targets?" Steve asked the bald dude.

"Anyone who's a threat to Hydra!" He said after naming a long list of seemingly random people "Now, or in the future"

"In the future? How could it know?" Steve asked. The bald dude laughed and said "How could it not? The 21st century is a digital book"

Kaira just stood watching because honestly she was used to that. Watching from the sidelines, only stepping in when really needed until she heard the part about some algorithm. She was good at those. Probably why Steve called her. The intense moment was ruined as the Wonder Woman theme music played at an exceptionally loud volume and it took a second for Kaira to realize it was her phone, and not background music. Everyone turned to stare at her and she meekly apologized.

"What the hell Tony? I told you I'm busy!" She whispered angrily into the phone turning away.

"Did you seriously hang up on me Kaira? That is so disrespectful. I mean like seriously" He was saying when Kaira cut him off "Look I'm in the middle of something and if you don't shut up, I'll hang up again"

Tony went silent and then cut the call.

"Was that Tony Stark you just hung up on?" The bird guy, Sam, asked. She nodded.

"Man, you are my favorite person already" He grinned.

"The Insight helicarriers strike people off the list. A few million at a time" He spoke.

"Wait, what?" Kaira said, snapping back to the conversation.

"Come on, we gotta go now and stop them" Natasha said.

"Steve..." Kaira said, stepping next to him.

"We'll really need your help Kay, this could cause serious damage" He explained "I'll tell you the rest in the car"

"Of course" She nodded and followed him.

"You don't even know what's going on, do you?" Sam asked her playfully.

"Honestly, I would follow Steve Rogers anywhere" She responded and went after him.

They got in the car and it was a little stuffy with their new hostage who did not at all stop talking.

"Hydra hates leaks" he was saying.

"I know how we can bypass the scans" Kaira piped in "We don't necessarily need him"

"No, you do need me. What do you mean you don't need me?" The guy started panicking.

"Oh relax, he's not going to kill you" Kaira replied, leaning over to him. Natasha was sitting in the middle of them and she added "yet"

"What? Look, whatever you're thinking of doing is a terrible idea" He said. The next moment there was a loud thud as the roof caved in a bit, and in a second a metal arm reached out and threw the guy into oncoming traffic.

* * *

A shot fired through the roof alerted her as she jumped forward into Steve's lap, just narrowly escaping the plethora of gunshots that followed.

"What is that?" She cried and Steve pushed the lever to accelerate forward. Steve wrapped an arm around her chest to hold her and the weight on top of the car flung forward. The man landed perfectly on the tarmac, stopping his fall with his metal arm and her eyes widened. He slowly stood up and as soon as she took out her gun to shoot him, something pushed their car forward.

Her gun dropped and Kaira lunged forward, and would have been thrown out of the car if Steve hadn't been holding her. The car skidded and the man jumped onto their roof and pulled out the steering wheel. "Shit!" Sam yelled and just as their car was about to flip, Steve grabbed all of them and pushed the car door out. Sam jumped out and Kaira and Natasha grabbed onto Steve as the car above them flipped about ten times before finally coming to a halt. Kaira scrambled to her feet and saw the man with the metal arm holding what looked like a grenade launcher, but she didn't want to stay long enough to find out.

"Kaira, get out of here!" Steve yelled as soon as the man launched the grenade. It hit Captain's shield and he was thrown back by the force. "Steve!" Kaira yelled and ran towards the edge to see where he had landed, and Natasha grabbed her arm. The man with the metal arm glanced at her and all of the soldiers behind him got ready to fire.

"We have to go now Kaira!" She said and pulled her behind a car for cover. Kaira got on her knees and pressed flush against the car as bullets whizzed past them.

"We gotta go after Steve" Kaira spoke, she was panicking. She wasn't a superhuman, she wasn't a super soldier, all she had was Captain America to protect her and he was knocked off the bridge. "Here, take this" Natasha said and handed her a gun that Kaira definitely didn't know how to use.

"I can't" She said, barely above a whisper, her voice was hoarse from all the yelling.

" _Can't_ is not an option right now" Natasha said and turned around to shoot back. Another grenade flew past Kaira and hit a car, forcing Natasha to cross the railing into the other lane. Kaira brought her knees to her chest and looked at the gun in her hands. She had done weapon training before, and Steve had taught her hand to hand combat as well.

But that was all training. Without a freaking super soldier trying to blow them up with grenades.

Kaira turned and saw Natasha jumping off the bridge.

"Shit" She said, bracing herself to just get up and start shooting already. Her fingers found the safety and trigger and she let muscle memory take over, since she wasn't processing anything at the moment. With a click, the safety was off and her index finger wrapped around the trigger. Before she could get up and fight, something yanked her up into standing position and she let out a gasp as a metal arm wrapped around her neck. The man lifted her up in the air, holding her in a choke hold and the gun dropped from her hands onto the road.

She felt her head starting to go light and she struggled under his grip, but it was futile. He was way too strong for her.

His eyes studied her. She was a wreck. Her brown hair framed her face messily and her eyes pleaded him to let her go. She wasn't one of them, he realized. She was weak under his touch and she had no countermeasures.

"Please" She uttered out and for a second she thought she saw a reaction in him. His grip immediately loosened as her eyes searched his, begging.

"She's not the mission" Someone said and the man's grip tightened again. Kaira gasped for breath and tried to get his hand off turned to look at whoever had said that. She used her chance and brought her leg up to knee him in the stomach. He barely flinched at her attack and narrowed his eyes at her dumb defense mechanism.

His eyes were the only thing visible, and the bottom half of his face was covered with a mask. Judging by the look in his eyes, she was pretty sure he was going to kill her but instead of doing that his hold loosened and she dropped down to the ground in an instant.

She lay on the concrete, staring up at the man who let her go, gasping for breath.

He looked over her body and as her vision blurred, she saw him picking up her gun. The other soldiers were pacing forward, and that was the only gun she had.

Before any quite protest could escape her mouth, he dropped the gun down lightly in her hands. Without a second glance from him, her eyes fluttered close as she saw him walking away.

Perhaps forgetting The Winter Soldier had been one of Tony's worst advice to her after all.

 **review please and put in expectations or what you would want from this story!**


	3. disobeying orders

**To Alliax: Thank you so much for your review, I've been going through some stuff and you literally made my week and cheered me up! And you got your request, I've made this chapter the longest!**

 **Please review to let me know what you think if you're reading this! It really helps me write faster.**

Kaira was lying unconscious, on the ground for a good amount of time, when her eyes snapped open. She got up with a jolt and realized she had passed out from the chokehold, and was still on the bridge. The Winter Soldier had attacked her. She looked down and saw in her lap, the gun Natasha gave her. She was pretty sure she saw the man with the metal arm give it back to her. But why?

She stood up and looked around. There was a huge pile up on the bridge and none of the soldiers were there anymore.

She fumbled in her pocket for her phone and quickly dialled Nat's number.

It rang three times before Natasha picked it up.

"Natasha! Where are you? Do you need help?"

"Kaira! You're okay" Natasha's voice was distant, and she was panting.

"Where's Steve?" Kaira immediately remembered he had been thrown off.

"Don't worr- about Ste-, you need- get out of here!" Natasha's voice kept cutting off and Kaira imagined it was because she was running for her life.

She knew that the best thing to do was listen to her and go to a safe place, but Steve might need her help.

"I'm coming to help!" She yelled back, only to be bombarded by Natasha's protests "No! Kaira do not. I can't protect you if -"

The line went dead and she really hoped Natasha wasn't. The smart thing to do would be to find Sam and go into hiding until things cleared over but Steve was her best friend. Maybe her combat skills could finally be put to use now. She walked to the edge of the bridge and saw the wreck of a bus. She just needed to follow the destruction and she would find Steve.

Her first problem was figuring out how to get down from the bridge. She turned around and saw ropes tied to a car that the soldiers must have used to get down. But they couldn't be used. The fall wasn't that much, maybe she could jump.

"God this is such a terrible idea" Kaira mumbled and braced herself as she tried to stand up on the railing.

"What in god's name are you doing?" She heard a familiar voice and she turned around to see Sam, and his amazing birdsuit.

"Thinking of jumping? He eyed her and raised an eyebrow.

"No that's so dumb" Kaira said "I was just waiting for you to show up, about time you did"

Sam chuckled and came up to her.

"Should I be asking why you're going where the fight is?" He said and strapped himself in.

"No you shouldn't" Kaira responded, and Sam smiled.

"Hold tight" He said and wrapped his hands around her stomach. Kaira took in a breath as she heard the mechanical whirring of his wings opening and in a second they were off the ground.

She gripped her gun tightly to her chest as Sam flew them over the bridge and over all the cars that had been wrecked.

"Now let's play a game" Sam said in her ear "Whoever finds Steve first wins"

There was a huge blast right in front of them and in the middle of it was Steve facing The Winter Soldier.

"I win" Kaira smiled, and Sam swooped downwards to drop her to the ground. He then turned around to fight the other soldiers behind him. Kaira was on her own.

"Thanks for the ride Sam" Kaira whispered and ran to where Steve was standing. He did look like he needed help.

The metal arm punched Steve and he fell down.

Kaira put the safety off her gun and walked towards the soldier. Steve let out a groan and then he looked up and saw Kaira. His eyes widened in panic.

The soldier had his back towards her, still trying to end Captain America.

Kaira pulled the trigger. Just as the bullet was about to him, he turned and deflected it with his metal arm.

She shot multiple times, hoping any one will hit him but he kept walking towards her. All she could see were his eyes but she knew she had pissed him off.

He came close to her and Kaira realized she was only shooting at his upper body.

"Thanks for giving me the gun back" She told him, grinning.

Stepping back, she aimed it at his right leg and pulled the trigger.

He faltered in his step at the impact but the bullet had only grazed him.

"Shit" Kaira said and he, in one swift move, pushed her back.

He pinned her against the wall, forcing her back with the weight of his arm on her chest. She was breathing heavily, looking him straight in the eye and he was looking right back.

He took out his knife and held it to Kaira's neck, so close that it broke upper skin and she could feel blood trickle down her shirt.

If she moved an inch, or breathed differently, her throat would be slit.

The soldier glared right at her, almost taunting her to make a move.

He noticed how her eyes were light green and she didn't seem afraid. That was bullshit because she was terrified as hell. She probably shouldn't have tried to take on a super soldier on her own.

Before he could try anything Captain's shield flew right at them, knocking the winter soldier off balance and giving Kaira a window to get free. She squirmed out of his hold, and he turned and slashed at her arm. Steve ran to her.

"Kaira, get behind me" He said, and took his stance. Kaira slowly stepped back and out of their way. Her arm was bleeding and she put pressure on it with her hand, looking over the fight.

She turned around and saw Sam fighting with soldiers, trying to protect Natasha who had a bullet wound.

The winter soldier had Steve pressed against a truck and with the knife to him.

Kaira tried to think of a way to help them, a distraction or anything that would give Steve the upper hand.

But apparently she didn't have to as she saw Steve flip the soldier over, pulling his mask off.

"Kaira, are you okay?" He asked her, noticing her standing within the midst of battle.

"I'm okay" She responded, more worried about the soldier who attacked her.

He turned around and Steve fell silent.

"Bucky?"

"What the-" Kaira managed to say. James Buchanan Barnes.

Right out of her history books.

He was the Winter Soldier.

Her favorite war hero had tried to kill her. The man she wrote essays about in school tried to kill her.

"Who the hell is Bucky?" He spoke in a hoarse voice.

He then pulled out his gun but Sam showed up.

He distracted the Soldier long enough for Natasha to shoot a grenade, and in the smoke cloud that followed, he was gone.

Kaira looked at Steve. He was still staring behind him.

"That was Bucky" He whispered.

"I know" Kaira said.

"I don't understand" Steve was at a loss for words. Then he turned to her with concern "Did he hurt you?"

"I'm okay" She replied.

"Your arm is bleeding" Steve pointed out.

"I'll be fine" Kaira emphasized. As soon as she said that, police car sirens came closer and within seconds they were surrounded on all sides.

"Get on your knees, now!" A soldier yelled, and came to Kaira, pointing his gun at him. Kaira sighed and slowly shifted her weight to the knees, dropping to the ground. Her hand was still clutching her stab wound and she couldn't remove it. She was now going to get arrested and she could have just chosen to follow Natasha's orders and got away. They started handcuffing Steve.

"Hey, boss. I think this one's hurt" A man said, standing above Kaira.

"This one, has a name" She sneered back at them, fed up with how unnecessary this was.

"Shut up" The guy who was their head said, and got down to her level. He observed her closely and then examined her wound "We'll get you fixed up at headquarters. Right now, just come with us"

"Are you insane Hemlow? She could bleed to death!" Steve cried, looking at her helplessly.

"I'm fine" Kaira said again. She knew she wasn't hurt that badly, and right now the best thing to do was listening to these assholes.

"Sir, but if we don't handcuff her, she's a danger" A soldier pointed out.

"No, she's not like them" Hemlow said "She's...normal"

"Wow" Kaira muttered, raising at eyebrow at that.

"Get up" A man said and pulled her up by yanking her shirt. He gave her a shove towards the van and said "Start walking"

Kaira could've punched him so bad if she wanted to, but it wouldn't end well for her so she went to the van and stepped in. They pushed the others in as well and then shut the door.

"It was him" Steve said, after a while. "He looked right at me, like he didn't even know me"

"Who?" Natasha asked, looking over.

"The Winter Soldier" Kaira replied. She moved closer to Steve in an effort to comfort him, but she was at a loss for what to do. From what she had read, Bucky was his best friend and they grew up together.

"The man on the bridge was not him, Steve. It might look like him, but he's changed now. he's not your best friend anymore" Natasha said. Steve looked like he was in pain upon hearing that.

"As cruel as that sounds, it's true. The Winter Soldi-Bucky is not on our side anymore" Kaira added. Steve needed to know this, because they couldn't afford for him to freeze in battle.

"He tried to kill all of us" Sam pointed out. Kaira gave him a look, "What? He did try to kill us" He defended himself.

"Yeah, but something weird happened on the bridge" Kaira remembered "He had me in a choke hold and-"

"Don't tell me you're into that thing" Sam said, cringe laced in his voice and Kaira let out a laugh "No, let me finish. So I was defenseless, without my gun, and he could have killed me right there. But he let me go...before I passed out, I'm pretty sure I saw him pick up my gun and give it back to me"

"What?" Sam cried, like he was personally offended by this. Steve looked at Kaira, and the hope in his eyes was back. Just a glimmer of it.

"How is any of this possible? That was 70 years ago" Sam said.

"Zola. Bucky's whole unit was captured in 43, and Zola experimented on him. Whatever he did helped him survive the fall, They must have found him and..."

"None of that is your fault, Steve" Natasha interrupted. Steve was blaming himself for never going back for Bucky.

"Even when I had nothing, I had Bucky" Steve said.

"Hey, maybe you can still have him? I don't want to give you false hope, and he did try and kill me a bunch of times, and stabbed me. But he helped me out on the bridge and that kind of...took me aback" Kaira explained. She looked at Natasha and noticed her bullet wound was bleeding profusely.

"We need medical help or they're going to bleed out" Sam yelled at the soldiers. The soldier took out her electrical baton and in a surprising move, instead of striking Sam hit the soldier sitting next to her. She took off her helmet and it was Maria Hill.

"That thing was squeezing my brain" She said, and looked at Sam "Who is this guy?"

"I'm Sam, hi" He said, flashing his best smile.

"What happened to you?" Maria said, looking at Kaira's wound "And whose idea was it to drag her into a battle?"

"The Winter Soldier stabbed me" Kaira answered, still confused as to how Maria was here "And I chose to go fight him on my own"

"The Winter Soldier attacked you?" Maria asked.

"He also, apparently, has a soft spot for her" Sam said sarcastically.

"What?" Maria said.

Kaira sighed "Can we just forget that?"

 **Thanks for reading! Comment below and tell your thoughts!**


	4. the plan

**To: lucia. : I'm so glad you like the way the story is going! Let me know if you like this chapter :) I don't want to repeat all the scenes and dialogues from the movie, so I'll keep it limited!**

Kaira walked through the doors of the warehouse that Agent Hill brought them to, looking around at all the agents there.

"She's lost at least a pint of blood" She yelled "She'll want to see him first though"

"See who first?" Kaira asked.

"Fury" She said matter of factly.

"He's alive?" Natasha asked and then they all went to see him.

"You don't seem all that excited about this" She said, looking at Kaira. Kaira shrugged "I am bleeding from my arm, and me and Nick never met so..."

"Suit yourself" She said and followed her friends into a room. Kaira took a seat outside on a cold metal chair, as one of the people came to fix her wound. She peeled off her blood-stained jacket and tried not to look at the wound. She hated blood.

"Wow" The doctor said.

"What?"

"This is extremely precise. It's not deep at all, and it missed your artery perfectly" He said.

"I'm sorry, are you actually impressed with how I was stabbed?" Kaira looked at him. All she needed was him to stitch it up so she could go and sleep. This day had been long. Of course the wound hadn't been deep, it was clear he hadn't meant to kill her but he had hurt her regardless and she would definitely get back at him for that. The doctor cleaned her up and Kaira went to the nearest bathroom to wash up. She looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. There was a scar running down her left cheek, and one on her neck that he had definitely given her. Even if it healed, it would definitely leave a mark. A knock on the door distracted her and she saw Agent Hill standing with a file.

"You wanted to read this?" She asked. Kaira nodded and Hill handed her the file. Kaira looked at the top cover. Asset LE -0623. Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes. After seeing Steve's dismay in the van, Kaira wanted to do anything that would help him get over his loss.

She flipped it open and the first thing that caught her eye was the picture. It was a picture of The Winter Soldier, yet he didn't look menacing or hostile. He was in an army uniform, with a cap that was too big for his head. He was clean-shaven, and his eyes weren't hollow and sunken in like the Winter Soldier's. He had a smile on his face, and it traveled up to his eyes. She flipped ahead and spotted a list of his missions. All the people he had been responsible for killing. It was hard to believe this had happened to him. But he wasn't who he used to be before, it was clear to see that. He was without a conscience now, and that made him a weapon. He was just as bad as any of the other Hydra agents. She sighed and closed the file. Steve would need her help and she could really use some rest.

* * *

"Kaira?" She heard a voice and got up. She was bundled up in a corner of the room the doctor had given her. The hospital beds were too stiff so she had moved to a couch. They'd given her a fresh set of pajamas too, which were surprisingly her size and extremely soft. Steve knocked on the door again and called her "You up?"

She lifted the blanket off her and said "I am now"

"I think you might want to be part of this discussion" He said. She nodded, slipped a jacket over her pajamas and followed him to a room where they were all gathered.

"We have to stop the launch" Natasha was saying.

"If even one of those ships remains operational, a whole lot of people are gonna die" Agent Hill said.

"How do we stop that?" Kaira asked, joining them with Steve at her side. She could feel his hand at her back, for support and she suppressed a smile.

"We have to assume everyone onboard those carriers is Hydra. We have to get past them and get these server blades in" Fury explained. He looked at Kaira and shot her a smile "Is this her?"

"Um"

"I'm Nick Fury, ex head of Shield" He said, offering his hand.

"I'm Kaira Sade Hastings. Nice to meet you" She said, extending her healthy arm forward.

"So I've heard, you're quite popular with this one" he said, gesturing to Steve. "And you've been a great help to Stark. I would also like to thank you for jumping in today and doing your part at the bridge, as they told me. Not every intern we get is so brave"

Kaira didn't know what to say, she was extremely awkward in these situations, especially when everyone was staring at her in her pajamas and all of them were affiliated with the avengers.

"I know you feel out of place, and it's completely understandable. But we'll need your help with this one. You need to guide Steve and Sam to those servers, so they know exactly what to do and what to replace. We won't have much time to explain once we're there, so Steve will safely escort you to the server room, and all you have to do is flick the switch" Agent Hill told her. Kaira nodded, taking everything in and Steve looked at her in reassurance.

"Any questions?" Fury asked.

"How will I be with both Sam and Steve at the same time?" Kaira asked.

"You won't. Sam will have help from one of our own on the helicarrier" Fury said "You go with Steve"

"I'll just go get changed" Kaira said and left, just as they all started getting in a heated discussion about taking down Shield. She had never been on a mission before, especially not one with this high risks. She went to look at her wound in the mirror, and the doctor had been right, it wasn't serious. After changing into clothes Agent Hill had brought her, she stepped outside for fresh air.

Rogers was standing on the bridge, staring out and Sam was walking up to him.

"He's gonna be there, you know" Sam said as Kaira joined them. He turned to notice her and asked her about her arm.

"It doesn't hurt anymore" She told him and went up to Steve. He put an arm around her as she put her head on his shoulder.

"Look, whoever he used to be, and the guy he is now. I don't think he's the kind you save. He's the kind you stop" Sam said and Kaira could see that he was trying really hard to be empathetic.

"He's kind of right, he tried to, and could have easily killed us all. He's a weapon now, not the war hero he used to be" Kaira added "And he almost scarred me, but I assure you if there's even a 5% chance of bringing him back...we'll try it"

"I don't know if I can stop him" Steve admitted.

"He might not give you a choice" Sam said, and then tried to lighten up the mood "And Kaira really hates him, so"

"Yeah, he ruined my favorite jacket!" She said and Steve had just a hint of a smile. He looked at her and then did a double take " _What_ are you wearing?"

"I know? It's so tight, it's some suit Agent Hill had lying around and this is all she has" Kaira said, embarrassed at her outfit.

"Well, I'm not complaining" Sam said, lifting his hands up and smiling.

* * *

A few hours later, Kaira was following Steve through a forested area towards the SHIELD launch site. Kaira had a gun tucked in her waistband and two knives at her disposal. In case she ever got caught alone on the ship, she would have to put her training to use but Rogers would mostly be there to protect her.

"Stay next to me at all times, okay?" Steve said, looking back at Kaira. Kaira didn't want to feel like the weakest link among them, but she was. She had nothing to contribute other than her brainpower, and that also which she shared with Agent Hill. Even if Kaira wasn't mentally ready for battle, she definitely looked physically ready. Her hair was tied up in a bun, and all strands had mostly been tucked in. A few ran astray and framed her face. The skintight bodysuit she was in started high up her neck, and only tightened around her chest. The area around her waist was thinner, as if made of net, and it then blended back into pants. She had an upper thigh knife holster, and she had an armband tucked inside the sleeve for the other knife. The suit was easy to move in and despite it's small size, was comfortable enough for her to be tossed around and still land a punch. And it definitely made her look good, if the fact that both Steve and Sam couldn't stop staring at her was any indication.

They all went up the stairs in to the building and Hill messed up the dish. A few seconds later, a dark man opened the door and saw Steve, Sam, Hill and Kaira all decked up in battle armor with guns pointed at him.

"Excuse us" Steve said. He raised his hands and stepped aside in a second. Smart move. They walked up till the communications center, and Steve started speaking into the microphone. He talked about how SHIELD had been taken over by Hydra, and wasn't what they thought anymore. As soon as he finished his inspirational speech, Sam stepped up smiling and asked "Did you write that down first, or was it off the top of your head?"

"Okay, I'm going to go to the server room. I'll guide you from there" Agent Hill said and handed them the server blades. Kaira took two and followed Steve out onto the tarmac. Steve handed her a Bluetooth so she would be able to hear Hill too and Kaira inserted it in her right ear.

"They've begin the launch" She told them.

"Isn't it way too early?" Kaira asked.

"They're trying to stop us" Steve said "Come on, we got to get on one of those ships before it's up" They ran as a siren blared through the launch site. Kaira looked up and almost stopped dead in her tracks at the size of the ship.

* * *

"Want to catch a ride?" Sam asked, just as Insight crew started shooting at them. Steve lifted his shield up to protect them "Take her up!" Sam nodded, grabbed Kaira by the waist and they took off.

Kaira looked down to see Steve being shot at, but Sam assured her he would be okay. They approached the helicarrier, and someone started shooting. He held her tightly as they escaped missiles being shot at them.

"Hey Cap! I found those bad guys you were talking about" Sam yelled.

"You okay?" Steve's voice came in.

"We're not dead yet" Sam replied "Okay, Kaira listen to me. You see that tiny platform over there by the northwest entrance?"

"Uh huh?" Kaira nodded, not sure where this was going.

"I'm gonna drop you off there" He said.

"What?"

"You're gonna have to make the jump because otherwise we both die" He said "I'll fly us near it but then we'll be in range of the missiles again. Can you do that Kaira?"

Kaira looked at where he wanted to land, and then the steep fall below to the ground. She would have to make a perfect jump.

"What do I do when I'm there?" She asked, gripping onto his suit tightly as he whizzed past gunshots.

"You'll be safe, that area is clear and you're not their priority" Sam told us "I can't hold you any longer, We gotta do this now!"

Kaira gulped as Sam turned a 180 degree to throw off the shooters. He aimed straight for the platform, and dove there. Kaira braced herself as they neared it, and just as they were about 15 meters above it, Sam let go and Kaira jumped. She reached out to her hands to be able to grasp at the railing in case she missed, and in a quick five seconds, her body hit the hard metal floor. She almost rolled off it but her hands tightly gripped the floor and she sighed. She had made it. Now she just had to sit there and wait for Sam or Steve to show up. Kaira caught her breath and then stood up, and almost took a step back when she saw him.

The Winter Soldier was standing in front of her.

She was standing on the edge of a high fall, straight down to the ground. He wasn't wearing any mask this time. He raised his metal arm up, and Kaira took a step even further back, and then as if to betray her recent good luck, her foot slipped.

 **please send a review. or favorite my way and my day as well as your day will be blessed!**


	5. a lot of blood and pain

**Sebastian Stan commented on my post on Instagram and I basically had the best day ever in existence! I FREAKED OUT SO MUCH AND FORGOT EVERYTHING FOR TWO DAYS.**

Kaira let out a scream as she felt the floor disappear from beneath her. Standing on the edge hadn't been a great idea, and she only realized it when the breath got knocked out of her and she fell. The last thing she saw before plunging to her potential death was the Winter Soldier. His face lacked any emotion, but she swore she saw his eyes slightly widen when she tripped.

"Sam!" She screamed into her mic, hoping where ever he was he could hear her and wasn't too far away. Kaira knew it had been a bad idea to come on this mission, especially when it was a 100 feet up in the air. Her arms flailing around her, she called for help again.

"Kaira!" She heard a voice and she barely had any time to register what that was before her body was grabbed out of it's free fall state. It jerked to a stop and she grasped tightly onto her savior. She wrapped her arms around Sam's neck and put her head in the crook of his neck. She needed to breathe.

"You okay Kaira?" Sam asked, holding onto her waist. Kaira managed to nod her head, still not believing she almost fell to her death. "Steve, I've got her" Sam said and flew them to a circular glass dome. Sam dropped Kaira down to the deck and she let out a breath she was holding, as soon as her feet touched the floor. She was barely on the floor for two seconds before Steve engulfed her in a hug. Her hands instinctively went around his neck and she felt so much better.

"I'm fine" Kaira whispered, pulling away from him when she realized they had less than 8 minutes to insert the server blades. She wished she could stay in his arms forever, where she felt safest for now, but they had work to do. Steve grabbed her by the waist, and led her till the server panels. She ran next to Steve up the bridge.

"Okay Kaira, work the magic" Steve said and she quickly entered the code on the panel. A tray full of server blades descended and Kaira smiled. She quickly picked out the one they were supposed to replace, and put the other one in.

"Two down, one to go" Agent Hill's voice came in and Steve looked at Kaira with a thankful look on his face. Kaira nodded back at him. This was the first time in a long time she felt useful. Sticking around with the Avengers wasn't a great self esteem booster, but it felt great to know people like that. Kaira had spent a huge part of her adult life undercover, pretending to be someone she's not. She'd taken acting lessons as a kid and she never knew it would have come in handy, until she was contacted by Tony Stark at age 20 to help him with a mission. She lived a few months under another identity, and slowly growing tired of pretending, she asked Tony if she could join him as an intern in technology and communications at the Tower.

Steve grabbed Kaira's hand as they ran towards the edge. Kaira realized he had surprisingly soft hands as he called Sam.

"Sam, we're going to need a ride" He said, gesturing to their position as Kaira noticed a tiny speck moving towards them,growing bigger. Sam.

* * *

Sam had dropped them on the next ship. The last one remaining. Steve walked in front of Kaira, protectively and Sam behind her. Kaira took out her gun and got ready to use it, in case she needed to. All of a sudden, Steve was knocked out in front of her as The Winter Soldier pushed him from the side. Kaira involuntarily let out a cry and lifted her gun up at him. He looked at her and swiftly, knocked the gun out of her hands, as if it required no effort. Kaira almost felt a little offended by his show of power. Sam jumped after Steve, but the soldier just grabbed him by his wing, as if he's just a bug that needed to be taken care of. Kaira used that distraction to pick up her gun and she shot it at him, at the same time as Sam. The winter soldier ducked and got cover as Kaira kept shooting at his torso. Sam turned around to get a better shot but before he could do anything, the Winter Soldier ripped off his wing and Sam flew down in a state of panic. Kaira knew she wasn't strong enough to face him alone, so she turned around and ran to the server room. She could still get there in time and do it herself. She opened the door and ran down the stairs, as fast as her feet could take her. She couldn't let him catch up to her, he'd spared her life too many times and he wouldn't make the same mistake again. An Insight guard appeared in front of her as she neared the server room and Kaira pointed her gun straight at him, and pulled the trigger. She didn't stay to see the consequence of what she had done, and burst through the doors into the room. Before she could go any further, someone grabbed her and pulled her back. It was another Insight soldier.

"I really don't have time for this!" Kaira cried, struggling with him as he caught ahold of her arms. He grabbed a strand of loose hair and pulled and Kaira let out a yelp and bit him on his arm in response. She then took that opportunity and brought her knee up to kick him in the groin. He jolted back and fell on the floor.

Kaira turned around to see Steve and the Winter Soldier fighting. They had fallen off the bridge onto the glass floor below. Steve had been shot.

Kaira ran to help and shot a bullet at The Winter Soldier. He deflected it with his arm and ran towards Kaira. Kaira tossed her gun to the side and reached down to bring out her knife. The Winter Soldier grabbed her by the shoulder and she quickly slashed at his non metal arm. He let out a cry of pain and looked at her. His eyes were full of anger and this was the most emotion she had seen on him. He brought out his metal arm and punched her right cheek. Kaira stumbled back in pain and shock and brought her hand up to touch the cheek. He had cornered Kaira and using his metal arm, punched her in the stomach. She doubled up and coughed up blood as he kept advancing on her.

"Stop" She said, and using her concealed knife slashed his face. It left a deep gash on his cheek and she tried to use any methods she had learnt to stop him from killing her. She struck his shoulder and his chest a few times. He grabbed her arm in his hand and twisted it until she had to drop the knife. She cried out in pain as she felt blood trickle down her face. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was his metal arm retracting and hitting her head against the wall.

Steve saw Kaira drop down unconscious and he knew he had very less time to get out of there before the ships blew themselves up. He saw his best friend trapped under the debris and he jumped down to help him up.

"You know me" Steve said.

"No, I don't!" He yelled, hitting him.

"Bucky. You've known me your whole life. Your name is James Buchanan Barnes"

"Shut up!"

"I'm not gonna fight you. You're my friend"

"You're my mission" He continued hitting Steve " _You're my mission_!"

"Then finish it. Because I'm with you till the end of the line"

Bucky paused when he heard that. Recognition flashed in his eyes and he stopped. The floor gave away and Steve fell into the river.

Bucky turned around and saw the girl lying unconscious on the floor. She was still breathing, her chest was slightly moving up and down. Bucky looked down at the river, ready to jump out. If he stayed here any longer, he'd die along with her too. He was almost about to jump, and he didn't know what came over him as he turned around and walked back to where the girl was lying. Her face was bloodied from his punches and a trail of blood went down her shirt.

Bucky bent down and in a swift move, he picked her up. She was lighter than he expected and she stirred slightly when he wrapped an arm under her. His other arm snaked around her back and she fell into him. She mumbled something he couldn't understand, and he could feel her breathing against his chest. She was tiny in his arms and he carried her till the edge. He held her tightly and glanced down at her face. Her eyes opened slightly and she looked up at him in confusion and pain.

" _Steve_?" She asked.

He tightened his hold over her body and holding her in a way that she would be shielded from the impact of the water, jumped off.

 **bucky character development?! please review and vote!**


	6. post traumatic

**To B (Guest): I'm so glad you love the character dynamics! Hope you grow to love it even more**

 **Lucia. P. angele: Yes she definitely is the luckiest haha!**

 **Thanks for reviewing. Please let me know if you like this chapter. We finally approach CA:Civil War in this!**

Kaira's eyes fluttered open and she let out an involuntarily groan as she felt the pain in each part of her body. Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion as she realized she was swaying back and forth. She felt sick to her stomach, and she could taste blood on her lips. She felt like she was falling, like she had no control of her body. Slowly, she started feeling everything that had happened to her. Her hair tie wasn't there anymore and the weight of her open hair flowing underneath her made her head hurt. For a second, she thought she was upside down even. Kaira tried to move her hand in a panic, she was falling. Then she realized there was an arm wrapped around her waist. It was holding her up. Kaira moved her hand to the person's. Her fingers brushed lightly against his and she tilted her head up.

The Winter Soldier was carrying her.

"Bucky?" She breathed, in a raspy voice, unable to comprehend why he would be holding her. His gaze moved down to hers and she felt a knot in her stomach at the way he glanced at her. Kaira stared up at him, his hair flowing around him and then her eyes focused on what was happening behind him. The ship was falling apart.

He was saving her.

Her pants had torn at a certain point near the knee, and she could feel the cold of his metal arm as it held her legs up and touched her skin. The confusion in her was soon replaced by nervousness as he tightened his hold on her. He pulled her even closer to him and within a second, they were flying.

Or falling.

Kaira couldn't tell. All she knew was that he had jumped off the ship. Kaira brought her arm up and clutched tightly onto the front of his shirt and then water engulfed them. She didn't have time to prepare and gasped for breath.

He had taken all the impact of the water, and Kaira felt lightheaded. She separated from his hold upon impact, her hair floating almost hauntingly around her, and The Winter Soldier's face was the last thing she saw before she slipped back into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Kaira?!" Somebody shook her awake. She coughed up water and turned on her side. Steve was there.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Kaira weakly nodded and sat up. She was surrounded by ex-SHIELD agents and Steve and Natasha were peering at her. She was soaking wet and so was Steve. Her back hurt. She felt a ringing in her ears. Her chest felt heavy, like there was still water in her lungs.

"Let's get you out of here" He said and wrapped a towel around her shoulders. He gave her his arm for support as she stood up on her two feet. Clutching the towel tightly around her freezing chest, she saw that they were on the river bank. The remains of the Heli carriers were still falling from the sky. Natasha offered her a hand, and pushing her initial hatred against her aside, Kaira took it. A helicopter was waiting for them nearby and they got inside it.

"What happened up there?" Natasha yelled, over the noise of the engines starting.

"I fell in the river" Steve stated blandly "Bucky pulled me out" Natasha scrunched her face at that and looked over at Kaira, sitting opposite them. "What about you?"

Kaira knew Natasha was suspicious of The Winter Soldier. They had every reason to be. He had shot Steve multiple times and knocked Kaira's lights out. Her stomach still hurt from his punches and she hated him for that.

"I was unconscious on the Helicarrier and next thing I know I woke up to Steve" She said, carefully leaving out the part where The Winter Soldier had saved her.

"You don't remember anything?" Natasha questioned. Kaira nodded meekly. She didn't know why she didn't tell them he carried her out.

"Hmm" Natasha nodded, still not convinced by Kaira's revelation. Kaira leaned back and sighed. She needed to go home and rest. Helping out the Avengers had really taken a toll on her and she wouldn't admit it, but she couldn't wait to get back to her boring intern life after saving the world. She wasn't looking forward to Tony's reaction when he finds out she lied to him and that she missed a lot of work days. The helicopter ride was silent, but to Kaira it felt everything but that. Her mind kept going back to him. Why had he gone through the effort to save her? He was obviously gone now, so why? He'd risked his life and saved hers. Kaira decided she would forget that. She would stop trying to rationalize a super assassin's reasons.

When the fight had been over, Bucky had returned to the only place that was familiar. The Hydra headquarters where they kept him. His feet took the lead as he went up the stairs he had so often come down, with a mission. Things were different this time. The man he had fought on the ship had sparked something in him, a faint memory that he couldn't quite reach yet. It was too painful for him to remember, and as the thoughts of it consumed him he barely but registered Hydra forces swarming around him, getting ahold of his body. He resisted at first, when they grabbed his arms, they told him he had failed his mission, that he had failed Hydra. He couldn't get Captain America out of his head. He couldn't get the girl out of his head. It physically pained him to think of what had taken place on the Heli carrier. The easiest thing to do would be to forget any of that had happened. Luckily for him, that was exactly what Hydra had planned. Within moments, he was on the chair he hated so much, his human and metal arms were restrained, and the metal device clamped around his head. He took in a breath, knowing what was going to come. This was his punishment for failing. He deserved what they were going to do. The electricity from the nodes travelled to his head and he let out a scream, the girl he saved being the last thing on his mind before it was wiped completely clean again.

* * *

ONE YEAR LATER

It had been a year since the events at the Heli carrier took place. Kaira was sitting on her desk, staring at the screen before her, trying to understand all the numbers. She was supposed to submit in all her analyzed data by noon and it was already nearing her deadline. She was nowhere near done and she put her head in her hands. The scone in front of her was over before her coffee and she had no incentive to work anymore. She brushed her hair out of her eyes and her fingers slightly trailed over the scar on her neck. The one the Winter Soldier had given her. Kaira had tried really hard to forget everything that happened because she wasn't cut out for the field anymore, and her guilt of never telling Steve that his ex-best friend James Barnes might be turning good, ate her alive. Forgetting wasn't easy, not until the scar completely went away.

"Why do you worry yourself, pretty girl?" A voice pulled her attention up. It was Nathan, her coworker, with his failed attempt to flirt again. Kaira thought twice before answering him, then finally looked over at him and said "Pepper has given me a shitload of unnecessary work that I have to turn in, and I have no idea why"

The News Broadcast was talking about Sokovia again. She'd heard it from Tony about how hard it had been to stop Ultron, and how they had lost a few lives, but at least they were doing something with their lives.

"Do you want some help?" Nathan asked, grinning again and Kaira really wanted to say no. She didn't want to owe him anything. Her curiosity got the best of her and she looked at Nathan to continue.

"Three words Kaira" He said and leaned closer. Kaira gripped the sides of her chair tightly, not out of nervousness but more out of embarrassment. She instinctively leaned back on her chair, until her back hit the leather and she tried to make a face that didn't give away how she was feeling.

"Yeah?" She asked, her high pitch tone betraying her nonchalant face.

"Hazelnut. Chocolate. Tart" Nathan said and Kaira's eyes visibly widened at that. He knew she was a sucker for food. Especially for desserts. The past year all she had done to cope with the events involving a certain Soldier, was to stuff her face and her stomach with desserts. She had tried every bakery in Brooklyn, every cake shop in Manhattan and every pastry joint within 5 kilometers of her workplace. It wasn't the healthiest way to cope, but it was the best one she knew.

"I would love that Nathan but it's not like I have time for a break" Kaira sighed and to her surprise Nathan reached behind him and brought out a teal paper box.

"Then it's a good thing I did" He said and lifted the cover open to reveal the best-looking tart in the universe.

"Well, how about I cheer you up?" Nathan said, smirking and leaning over towards her desk.

"If you finish that analysis in the next 20 minutes, I _might_ just take you out for dinner, and give you this amazing reward" He said, a big smile on his face. Kaira laughed before she realized he was serious. It wasn't like he was unattractive, he just wasn't her type and she felt like he tried way too hard. She hadn't had a lot of guys hit on her before, but seeing Nathan's attempts, that was a life experience she didn't miss.

"That is a _very tempting_ offer but I'm afraid Miss Hastings is going to have to deny" Agent Maria Hill said, appearing before their mundane workspace in her fancy skintight suits. Kaira looked at her in confusion. She hadn't seen any of them in well over 8 months. This had to mean something bad.

"Miss Hastings, can I talk to you in private?" Hill said, glancing over at Nathan as he eyed her too. Kaira cleared her throat and stood up, almost knocking over her cup of coffee on the data.

"Woah, careful" Nathan said and moved her chair behind so she could step out.

"How long will it be?" Kaira asked Hill.

"Depends if you say yes" She replied. She followed Hill to a smaller room and Hill closed the door behind them.

"I need your help" She confessed and tossed a file on the table in front of them. Kaira raised an eyebrow at the ambiguous statement and looked at the file. She recognized it. It was _his_ file.

"Is he back?" Kaira asked, swallowing. Every memory of him punching her came back.

"We have good reason to believe that. He was spotted a few months ago at the Smithsonian. Here's the footage" Hill said, unaware of the horrible memories that were consuming Kaira's head right now. She flipped a switch and the TV came on to show a grainy black and white footage of a man in a baseball cap. He was standing at the Captain America exhibit.

"What is he doing there?" Kaira asked.

"No idea, he came on our radar at that point and disappeared again for some months" Hill told her "Last week, there was a spotting in Bucharest"

"Okay" Kaira said, not sure where this was going "Have you told Steve this?"

"No one knows. Steve can't" Hill told her "If we tell him, he will go after him and spook him. If he disappears again, we might not be able to find him"

"Wait, but why exactly are we looking for him? He hasn't done anything in the past year right?" Kaira questioned, trying to replay the news broadcasts in her head about an assassin.

"Well, believe me, it's for Steve. He's also a fugitive under us, and we have to stop any future threats" Hill explained.

"What do I have to do with this?" Kaira asked, finally speaking the question she had been thinking for the past few minutes.

" _Well_ , it says it right here in your file that you used to be an agent" Hill revealed and Kaira was pretty sure she stopped breathing. She should've known this was coming ever since Hill showed up.

"No way" Kaira said, realizing what she was asking her to do "You are _not_ asking me to fly all the way over there, put myself in danger again and arrest him"

"No we are not Kaira" Hill said simply "We are asking you to go undercover"

 **Please review, it makes my day and me so happy!**


	7. new life

Kaira stood there, staring at Agent Hill for a silent minute as she waited for her words to sink in. She was asking her to go to Bucharest, a place she'd never been to before, to go undercover on a man who had tried to kill her on various occasions. The moments when he had her against a wall, when he punched her so hard her ribs hurt, when he had her in the air only with his metal arm, were engraved in her head. She had never been in a serious fight before and her hatred against the Winter Soldier had built up so much that she'd almost forgotten how he had saved her life. How every chance he had to end her, he spared her life, and instead of abandoning the sinking ship, he stayed. He chose to come back for her and carry her out. The fight was a blur but the memory of him holding her, so protectively, like he hadn't been the one to knock her unconscious, was etched into her head. She hadn't been able to get rid of the memory, or more so the sensation of the cool of his metal fingers against the back of her knee. It had bothered her so much wondering why he had done that. Steve had told her endlessly how Bucky could still come back, but Kaira thought differently. He had been tortured one too many times by Hydra to be brought back. They'd turned him into their weapon, their monster, and no person can ever come back from that. Not sane at least.

But this was not what Kaira wanted to think of. Agent Hill stared at Kaira, words barely escaping her lips every few seconds to urge Kaira for a response. But she gave Kaira time.

"Are you serious?" Kaira almost whispered.

"We'll be with you every step of the way, we won't let him hurt you again, you'll be safe" Hill said.

"But how will that even work? He knows who I am" Kaira said, hoping Agent Hill might have forgotten this detail and this was all just a mistake.

Agent Hill shook her head immediately, as if she anticipated this question, before saying "We have great reason to believe he was wiped again, before he made a run for it"

"Wiped again?" Kaira repeated, confusion laced in her suspicious tone. She still wasn't aware how Hydra had controlled Bucky for so long.

"After a couple of missions, they take away his memory, especially if he begins to remember" Agent Hill clarified and Kaira felt a knot in her chest at that. That was the cruelest thing she could imagine.

"Kaira, I know you have your doubts about this, but we really need you. If I could take your place, I would but you're the most qualified person to be doing this job"

Kaira slowly nodded, trying to process things "So he doesn't work under Hydra anymore?"

"No, when Hydra ended, he escaped them and took refuge in Romania, as far as we know. He's been there for a few months, but he could move anytime. We need to figure out his intentions there, we need to be able to track him, and as a personal favor to Steve, we need to keep an eye on him"

Kaira looked at the screen, the image frozen of him in the museum, considering everything. The fact that Hydra kept brainwashing him started to sink in. He wasn't in control. Every time he remembered, they would steal the memory from him.

"You have 18 hours to make your decision"

"I'm sorry, what? That's not enough time?" Kaira panicked. Hill smiled and stepped towards her, handing her the file "Kaira, by the time you leave this room, you'd have already made up your mind. Meet us at the airport by then, pack light, and don't panic"

"What about my identity?" Kaira asked, definitely panicking.

"You'll be debriefed before the flight over" Agent Hill said, smiled once again at her, and walked out of the room. Kaira was left behind standing, clutching his file, wondering how on earth she was going to make this decision.

A few hours later, she stood in front of the Smithsonian, with Steve by her side. He had come back from Sokovia with a heavy heart and had called her up. He needed his old friend, and so when she had asked him to accompany her to the museum, he'd said yes in a jiffy. He walked beside Kaira as they went to the Captain America Exhibit.

"How many times have you come here?" Kaira asked as Steve took the lead, maneuvering through the space.

"I lost count" Steve replied. Kaira had decided to come here because she needed to make a decision. They came to a stop in front of Bucky's picture and Kaira felt Steve stiffen next to her as the commentary started "Barnes is the only howling commando to give his life in service of his country"

"Even though he didn't die, he did lose himself" Steve muttered and Kaira looked at him. His eyes glistened with tears, even though he had come here so many times. Kaira looked back at the graphics playing of Bucky and Steve on their missions. Both her and Steve simultaneously smiled as the video of Bucky joking around came on.

"I'm sorry Steve, I know how close he was to you" Kaira said. Steve's eyebrows knitted together as he stared at the grainy image of James. He looked at Kaira with a definite sigh and said "Let's get out of here"

They ended up at his apartment an hour later. Kaira made herself comfortable on the couch. Steve's apartment was surprisingly clean, and minimal. A few pictures were scattered across the dresser, but that was one of the few personal touches he had added.

"Red wine okay?" Steve's head poked through the kitchen doorway as he held out a bottle in his hand. Kaira nodded and walked towards the kitchen.

"There's no need for that Cap" She said and looked at him running around the kitchen, trying to find wine glasses. She let out a laugh at his panicked state and he frowned at her.

"I thought we could kick back and relax, I've had a tiring few weeks" Steve said and Kaira looked at the upper cabinets. She opened one at random, and to her joy, she found the glasses. Steve glanced over his shoulder at her and popped the bottle. He visibly relaxed as he downed a sip and Kaira found herself admiring his stature.

"Tell me more about him" Kaira said, she wondered if Steve knew the mission that had been assigned to her. If he knew, how would he react to it? She was sure once he found out where Bucky lived, he would go there without a second thought.

Steve looked at Kaira "About Bucky? Well, he was the most courageous man I had the honor of knowing. He was always there for me, through everything. We basically raised each other"

"So, he was like a self-righteous person?" She asked. Steve let out a laugh at that and immediately said "No, he had courted more girls than I can count but when it came to me, yes he was extremely protective"

"Tell me more" Kaira said and hopped up on a bar stool next to his kitchen island. Steve set down his glass and said "I would get into a million fights as a teenager, he would be there to save my ass every time without fail. He spent nights with me when I was sad, and he would hook me up with the prettiest girls. Even though most of them were interested in him" He said, swaying a little as he went back in his memories.

Kaira had never known him but she could tell he was a person worth knowing. A person worth saving. Any person who was held so highly in Steve's eyes would be.

By the time they finished the bottle and it was late, she had decided. She was going to save Barnes.

Kaira stood at the foot of her bed, her suitcase laid open on the bed. She had a good idea of what to pack, she'd been on undercover missions. She just had to be careful to not take anything that could be traced back to her. She tossed a few shirts and a couple of trusty pair of jeans into the bag. Her backpack was already ready and sitting next to the door, with just enough supplies to last her a few months in Bucharest. Her anxiety had died down but she could still feel a pit in her stomach at the thought of diving into this.

She didn't know how long the mission was for, but surely it couldn't be longer than six months. The man Steve had talked tales of last night was wonderful, but he was not the same man she was being sent to.

A few hours later, she arrived at the private airport Agent Hill had called her to and Hill didn't seem surprised to see her at all. She knew she would end up coming. Hill smiled as Kaira stepped towards her, her face relaxing the closer Kaira got without turning back.

"I'm really glad you made this choice" Hill said, handing her a hard case of documents "Everything you need to get in and out of Bucharest. Includes your housing permit, a new passport, enough cash to last you a year, a .22 magnum and anything else that could possibly be required"

Kaira grabbed the case and slipped her fingers around the handle.

"We need you to get in, earn James's trust. Find out _anything_ you can about his connection, if any with Hydra. Report any unusual activity, and if he so much as talks about moving even one building away, we need to know. We can't let him slip away again" Hill debriefed her.

"How much time do I get?" Kaira asked, processing all the information coming her way.

"Getting his trust will be hard. It'll take time"

"Can't I just plant a tracker on him and observe him from afar?" Kaira joked but Hill took it seriously.

"He's a trained assassin and he's some 100 years old. He'll _know_ if there's a tracker" Hill replied, her eyes narrowed.

"I was kidding" Kaira mumbled softly.

"Hope you packed some jackets" Hill said, just as the pilot began his pre-flight check. Kaira nodded and someone helped get her suitcases onboard.

"Where am I going to be staying?" Kaira asked, climbing the first step backwards, facing Kaira.

"Wherever James is" Hill said.

"Isn't that a bit conspicuous?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"He has no reason to doubt you Kaira" She handed Kaira a folder "This is your new life for the next months. Learn it. Know it word to word"

Kaira opened to the first page. Annika Duncan. That was her name now. She needed a pseudo name since knowing how paranoid James, he would look her up the second she moved in.

"We have plenty of data to back up your existence as Annika, and there should be no slip up" Agent Hill said. Kaira nodded and seated herself on a window seat. This was one of the rare times she had been on a private plane and she was doing everything to restrain herself from jumping around the cabin. She reminded herself of this being a professional mission and went through all the documents that had been handed to her.

"As I said before, we will be available on call anytime you want. Whenever any assistance is required, page me or this number and we'll get back to you. We have great reason to believe James won't harm you, considering you're a mere civilian in his eyes"

"I truly hope so" Kaira mumbled and rested back in her seat. Agent Hill nodded at her one last time before stepping off the plane.

After a 10-hour long journey, which was eased by the comforts of the private plane, Kaira woke up to their gentle landing in Bucharest. There was an agent on the plane with her but their interaction had been minimal seeing as he was probably 50 and not interested in small talk.

"The cab will take you to your living quarters till you get an accurate location on Barnes. We know roughly the neighborhood he's been spotted in so that's where you'll be. Your job at first is to observe and analyze. Once you intercept the target, you can move on your own accord to changing your accommodation near him."

Kaira followed his instructions word for word as she de boarded the plane, got in the black sedan waiting for her, and reached her temporary living situation in the center of the city. She didn't have much luggage to haul up the stairs and rather than asking the chauffeur to help, she realized it would do good to carry it herself. She hadn't done physical training in months and although this month didn't particularly require any, you could never be too sure.

Kaira didn't bother unpacking in her new flat, and she set down her suitcases by the door as she examined the furnished space. It hadn't been lived in before and was possibly a safe house for SHIELD Agents here. Thankfully, the electricity and water were functional so she hopped in the shower after the tiresome journey. She knew it would be easy to locate Bucky, since Agent Hill's team had done all the hard work. All she needed to do was go to his frequently visited spots, and sooner or later she would bump into him.

Annika Duncan, she thought as she lathered herself clean. It was a pretty name. It wasn't too far fetched even.

It was only when she got out of the shower did she realize that she hadn't unpacked her towel. She groaned and got out, her skin freezing against the cool air.

She turned on the heating and ran to her bags, dripping wet.

After she had dried herself, she settled comfortably on the couch and flipped through the file. She had to see the whereabouts of Bucky and figure out a plan of action.

She was still apprehensive if he would recognize her or not but she would just have to wait and see and trust Hill's work.

According to their intel, Bucky had been here a few weeks. Hopefully she would locate him before he moved.

The next four days were uneventful. All Kaira had managed to do was locate a grocery store nearby where they understood English and stocked up on supplies. She had no means of entertainment in her flat and her boredom was getting the best of her.

That's how she found herself sitting across the mirror, a copper scissors in hand, wondering what too short was.

"Might as well become Annika Duncan now" She sighed and proceeded to shorten her hair. She cut it just above her shoulders, in a messy bob, and observed her changed reflection.

"If Bucky hasn't been wiped clean already, this will _surely_ throw him off" She spoke sarcastically.

The next day, her luck came through. It was Sunday and a farmer's market had been set up a few blocks away from her. Kaira had heard about it from a local and had woken up early hoping to catch some fresh produce.

The clock read 5 am, and Kaira slipped into a more presentable state. She changed from her pajamas into jeans, and a burgundy top that hung low but hugged her body snugly. It was cold out so she needed to wear one of her lighter jackets. She slipped a beanie over her head to cover her ears and headed out.

The walk to the market was pleasant but she felt herself shivering despite her attire. She pushed her hands deep into the jacket pockets as she arrived at the open-air market. She surveyed her surroundings till her eyes fell upon an interesting stall.

There were hardly any people here, but every ten minutes the crowd only increased. Kaira stood at the vegetable stall, trying to communicate what she wanted to buy when she spotted him.

At first, he hadn't caught her eye, but now it was all too clear that he didn't belong. He stood in the midst of the crowd, standing all too stiffly as he looked around himself.

The uneasiness of the past days in Kaira died down, and she almost smiled.

Bucky.

 **a/n: please review, it means the world to me**


	8. undercover

**this is my favorite chapter so far, and the hardest to write! please leave a tiny review :)**

He was dressed in a black overcoat, revealing a white button-down shirt underneath. The cap he wore cast a shadow on his eyes, and his hair had grown to his shoulders. Kaira drew in a breath, racking her brain for options. What was she supposed to do? The mission required her to befriend him, gain his trust, and move in near him. The order of those things was unsure to her, and she had no idea how to proceed. She had been thinking of strategies the past few days, but now that he was here, in front of her, she drew a blank. He stood in the center of the moving crowd, his head moving around him observing the ever-growing crowd.

The vegetable vendor snapped his fingers in front of her eyes to bring her attention to him. He had been waiting for her to make a decision about the produce while she was distracted. Kaira managed to tear her eyes away from Bucky long enough to face the vendor. He said something in Romanian and Kaira quickly unlocked her phone. She had been using Google translate to get by but sadly, it couldn't do everything.

Kaira fiddled with her wallet and managed to get another look at Bucky. She couldn't afford to lose him. He was moving towards her general position, and Kaira felt nervous. What if he recognized her? He had fought her and saved her on the helicarriers a year ago. For the first time, Kaira hoped Hydra had done their job well on him to make him forget those events and her. She shoved a note in the vendor's hands and grabbed her cloth bag, quickly turning to see Bucky at a stall, just a few steps from her. She tried to be subtle, remembering her training, and shifted her feet casually against the pavement.

It was for a second but this time when Kaira looked at him, his eyes landed on hers. He looked right at her, and she abandoned all subtlety as she looked right back. She couldn't make out the expression on his face and before he gave anything away about what he was feeling, he turned away. Kaira spun around and sighed in relief. He didn't know her. He hadn't recognized her even a bit. Could she follow him back to his place? Or would it be better if he willingly told her where he lived? If he caught her following him, her whole cover would be blown. She couldn't risk that. She couldn't risk the operation.

She would just have to move slow. Rushing things never helped. By the time Kaira turned around, he had already left. The cold air was starting to get to her, and she had already bought everything she came for so she went back to her apartment.

She sat on her couch, thinking about how to talk to him. Her previous missions were much easier, all she had to do was stay low for a few weeks, enough to get her hands on information, so her employers could exploit it. This time, she had to fake a friendship.

Kaira decided to put her free time to use and cook herself a meal with all the produce she bought. Her hands were moving on their own accord, going through the process of cooking, but her mind was somewhere else. Her phone ringing snapped her out of her thoughts. It was her employer, Tony.

"Kaira?" He said, overjoyed to hear her voice "Where has my favorite girl gone off to?"

"Hey Stark. Didn't anybody tell you? I got tired of your shit and ran to Mexico" She answered, seating herself on a barstool. She dug into her chicken salad while Tony went on about how she couldn't miss work.

"You're kidding me, right? I'm coming back in six months, hope you still have a job opening for me by then" Kaira stated "I thought Maria Hill would have told you everything"

"Contrary to popular belief, I don't always know what's going on" He said and Kaira grinned as they caught up on things.

The day passed pretty much in a blur, and she went to bed early.

Her eyes shot open at 3 am, a habit Tony had got her in by calling her in at odd hours, and she groaned when she realized how early it was. She couldn't go back to sleep. Kaira got out of bed and realized she needed a coffee. She needed a coffee practically all the time but right now her life depended on it. She ran to her kitchen, plugging in the machine when she realized, the electricity was out. She groaned "Perfect"

There was a coffee shop called 'Annie's Delight' a block away and they were open all night. She would just have to go there. She rubbed her eyes as she grabbed a hoodie and ran to the shop. There were hardly any people outside, save for the occasional drunk clubbers.

Kaira passed a lot of closed cafes and then she saw a man in the reflection behind her. At first, it was a fleeting glimpse but then she realized he was staring at her. She turned around and saw him. He looked thirty, and he was unabashedly looking in her direction. He had a full-grown beard and a buzzcut. She turned around and dig her hands deeper into her jacket pocket. It was no use yelling at him, and she kind of wished she had brought her gun along. Hopefully he would go away.

She reached Annie's Delight and breathed a sigh of relief when she realized it was, as promised, open. There was a single employee behind the counter, and she had huge earphones on, bopping around to an unknown beat while typing away on her phone. Kaira entered and she looked up momentarily before going back to her phone. She was American so thankfully Kaira wouldn't have to use her translator.

"I am one of your only customers; can you really afford to ignore me?" She said loudly and the employee, Nicole, took off her headphones, putting them around her neck. There were a few other people at the tables, mostly couples and Kaira wondered why on earth they were up at this time by choice.

"What do you want Annika?" Nicole said, and Kaira was a little shocked she remembered her. She had come in a few times here before.

"One coffee. Black" She said and leaned forward on the counter. Kaira tapped her fingers on the counter as she looked at the display stand. Pretty cupcakes adorned the shelves, and Kaira itched to buy one but eating that at this time was not a good decision.

"There's a man here who can't take his eyes off of you" The cashier said as she prepped the coffee. Kaira stiffened up a bit and then rolled her eyes "I was hoping he would have left by now, the creep has been following me for a few minutes"

Nicole put the lid on the coffee and looked back at the man. "I wish he would follow me, he's super-hot" She muttered under her breath. Kaira immediately looked up at Nicole. Was she serious? The man who had been behind her was, for lack of a better word, average at most and extremely creepy.

"You're probably used to all the attention" Nicole said looking at Kaira's unfazed face and handed her the coffee cup.

Kaira tried to ignore her tone but turned around to see the guy who was staring at her. She almost dropped her coffee when she realized that Nicole was not talking about the creep, but about someone else instead.

James Buchanan Barnes sat at a table in the corner, stirring his coffee cup, and looking at Kaira.

"Fuck" Kaira said and turned back around to face Nicole. He was still in a black coat, but this time he wasn't wearing a hat. His hair was tucked behind his ears and he looked back at his coffee cup.

"Told you he was hot" She said. Kaira felt herself panicking. Should she go talk to him?

"Yes, you should" Nicole replied and Kaira realized with shame that she had said that out loud. Kaira took a sip of her coffee to calm herself down. He had caught her off guard. Mentally and physically. What was James doing here at 3 in the night? She was still in her pajamas, and she hadn't even bothered to wear a bra. She was not prepared. But then, hadn't the last ten years of service prepared her for moments like this? By the time she turned around, he was on his way out. He glanced at the cashier one last time before holding the door open.

So Kaira took the first step; she smiled at him. Her smile took him by surprise, and she saw his eyes widen. Then, the ends of his mouth shifted upwards slightly and the ghost of a smile formed on his face. And then he was out the door.

Kaira looked at Nicole and said "Is he a regular customer?"

"Yep, his name is James but he always comes at odd timings. My coworkers told me that he almost always comes in late at night, so I switched up my shift just so I could see him" Nicole blurted.

"He lives nearby?" Kaira asked, trying to act nonchalant.

"Yes, he lives in the apartments opposite Cismigiu Park" Nicole said and Kaira could have kissed her then.

"Thank you!" Kaira said and paid for her order. Nicole just huffed and took it from her. Kaira now knew where to move her base, she was going to call Agent Hill and tell her right now. It was 10 am in New York so she would be awake. Kiara dialed the number as she left the store, and Agent Hill picked up on the first ring.

"Hey, Kaira. Everything okay?"

"Yes! I found out where he lives. Apartment complex opposite Cismigiu Park. Can you arrange that?"

"Give me 8 hours and you can move in. Gotta say I'm impressed Kaira, I didn't think you would get the information so fast" Hill said.

Kaira feigned hurt and said "I am offended"

What happened next was so fast that she didn't have time to process anything. A hand was placed on her shoulder and she was spun around so quickly, her phone dropped from her hands. The creepy man with the buzzcut towered over her and smiled at her.

"Hey, sweetheart" He said and Kaira's hand instinctively dropped to her jeans to reach for her weapon till she realized she hadn't brought one.

"Um, I'm not interested" She said and tried to take a step back. The streetlights were dim and she couldn't see past a distance but she knew no one would be passing through this area. The man then said something in Romanian, which she couldn't understand and his hand moved from her shoulder to her upper arm. He tugged lightly at it, asking something in the language.

"I really don't want to punch you right now, so let me go and you can walk away unharmed" She said confidently. She had been in worse fights before. She was probably only 20% scared, she told herself. The creep narrowed his eyes at her threat. 40% scared now.

"I am not kidding, I will punch the living daylights out of you" Kaira said, her façade of confidence slipping. That was enough to anger the man and he grabbed her neck, pulling her towards him and slammed her head against the wall. If his hand on her throat wasn't bad enough, he pushed her cheek to the brick wall and she reacted by kicking her leg out. He was swift, and caught her leg pushing it back down. He brought his mouth close to her ear and started saying things in a strange tone. She was glad she couldn't understand Romanian. She had fought the Winter Soldier before, she told herself, this was nothing and she procured enough strength to turn around and aim a punch at him. She connected her fist with his cheekbone and he fell back with the force of her attack. He charged forward and caught her second punch with his hand. He then twisted it and she let out a soft cry.

"All I wanted was fucking coffee, and obviously it was a terrible idea" She mumbled, and he tightly held her wrists.

"Las-o sa plece*" Another voice said and both Kaira and the man turned to see someone standing there.

"Who the fuck are you?" The creep said and tightened his hold on Kaira.

Kaira looked at the person, it was him. This was just her luck. Almost getting mobbed in an alley by a creep and the one person who comes to her rescue is him. James Barnes.

"I said" He stepped forward, more light falling on his face "Let her go."

The man holding Kaira didn't cower back though, he looked at Kaira, then at James, and then at Kaira again. She could see the wheels turning in his head, now was a good time to run. She turned to the opening and just as she braced to run, he put his fist up brought it down on her head.

The hit was enough to knock her balance, and she fell forward, losing her footing on the pavement. Her head hit the pavement and she blacked out.

If Kaira had been conscious, she would have been mortified. She wasn't a damsel in distress. She was an agent on a mission sent to retrieve a dangerous assassin. She wasn't supposed to get caught up in civilian drama, and she cursed her stupidity for being caught in this terrible situation. She would have been embarrassed to see James hit the man for her, when he didn't even know her. She was supposed to start out steady, get his name, get his whereabouts, and everything else was to come after. But because of her lack of brains and her lust for coffee, her plan had plunged her into this territory where James had to come to her rescue. If Steve could see her right now, he would be shaking his head with pity and Tony with disappointment. They had taught her well, and she had gotten stood up by a drunk man with a heavy punch.

Memory of the hit brought her to consciousness as she felt the pain searing through her head. She opened her eyes and she was in an unfamiliar place. There was a single clock in her view, and the time read 7 am. She had been out for more than three hours. She used her elbows to push herself up and realized she was on a mattress. She was inside an apartment. She looked around her and saw quite literally, nothing of importance. It was bare, and there were a few candy wrappers strewn around but not much else.

It didn't take a genius to figure out she was at his place. James had brought her to his apartment. The thought brought another wave of embarrassment as she tried to figure out how he would have carried her here, and how dumb she would have looked passed out uselessly. After the initial mortification, Kaira realized she was exactly where she wanted to be. She had been looking for him and his place for a week now, and life had worked in her favor by bringing her to it. Even if it was done unknowingly.

She pushed the blanket off her feet and stood up on the hard mattress, getting a good look around. She stepped onto the wooden floor, and it slightly creaked as she shifted her weight onto it. The sound was enough to draw attention to herself, and a door flew open as James came in. He looked at Kaira and she stood there, not knowing what to do.

He had changed into a grey sweatshirt, and he combed his hair out. He spoke first.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his expression blank as he stepped towards her.

The first thing she did was apologize. "I'm really sorry for what happened, I didn't want to drag anyone into it"

He raised his eyebrows at that. He obviously didn't expect a sorry.

"And thank you" She added, in a meek tone and his face softened at that. "What's your name?" She asked.

He paused a moment before saying anything, as if he was analyzing the situation and if she was dangerous. For a second, Kaira thought he wouldn't say anything.

Whatever he thought would have been disregarded because he spoke anyway, in a much softer voice than she anticipated "Bucky."

"Um, thank you Bucky" She said and extended her hand forward.

"I'm Annika. Annika Duncan"

 **let it begin!**

 ***Las-o sa plece= let her go.**


	9. neighbors

**this was a fun chapter for me.**

It felt like everything in the past year had been leading up to this. Kaira stood there, in just her pajamas and a hoodie, exposed in every way, inside Barnes's apartment. She was a meticulous person, all her moves as an agent had been calculated and precise, yet here she had put herself in this terrible, unprecedented situation.

In a way, she was thankful that she didn't have to wait long before finding out where he lived, and that the way he had brought her home brought the least amount of suspicion on her. She didn't have to follow him home or resort to any spying.

"Thank you, again" Kaira spoke after a deafening silence and Bucky warily stepped closer. Kaira didn't understand the apprehension in his eyes, she didn't look threatening at all, and if anyone should be scared it should be her. Bucky adjusted his sweatshirt sleeve, tugging it down lightly over his right arm. Then it hit her.

He wasn't afraid _of her_.

He was afraid of _hurting_ _her_.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked again, and Kaira realized she hadn't answered his question the first time. Her head still hurt but she wasn't really thinking about that. His question brought attention to her knee, which stung.

"My head hurts like a bitch, but I'm fine" Kaira said and Bucky's blank expression turned to an amused one at her statement "Did you drop me or something?" She asked, raising an eyebrow and gesturing to her knee. She was starting to get more comfortable in her person, even in this uncomfortable situation and she moved closer towards him. He seemed taken aback at her accusation, and then visibly relaxed when he realized she was kidding.

"No, you scraped your knee when you fell, and I-uh, I cleaned the wound. I tried to wake you up, but you were out cold…so I hope you don't mind" He said, his brow furrowed.

Kaira stifled a smile "You're apologizing for cleaning my wounds?"

"I found your phone" He said suddenly and extended his hand forward. He unfurled his palm to reveal it, and that's when she realized how huge his hands were. Her phone lay between his palm and she reached out to take it from him, carefully trying to _not_ brush her fingers against his. She hoped he hadn't gone through anything on it, although most of her data wasn't comprising. Kaira realized this was the moment for her to leave, and she wasn't welcome here for long. She didn't need to be told twice that he was uncomfortable by her presence and she made her way to the door.

What Bucky said next surprised and terrified her at the same time "Should I walk you home?"

Firstly, because she hadn't expected him to care for her that much over the events of one night, and secondly because she was supposed to move her apartment to his one today. This was part of the plan, she was supposed to move into his building for closer surveillance and then observe closely.

"Um, no that's okay. I can walk myself home safely" She replied, hoping he couldn't see her nervousness slip through.

"Are you sure?" He asked as she stepped outside. He lingered there for a second and Kaira nodded, exiting to the stairwell. She turned around to face Barnes and gripped the handrail.

"See you around" She smiled and turned.

She reached her place, which was a few blocks away, and started packing. She expected a call from Agent Hill any second. She decided to take a shower and when she undressed, she saw a gauze wrapped around her knee. It was rough, but it did the job. She couldn't imagine Bucky doing such a minute job, he had always been so rough around her. She still hadn't forgiven him for trying to kill her on the bridge, and the Heli carrier, but to be fair she had hurt him too. Her phone rang and it was as she expected, Agent Hill.

"Do you care to explain why you hung up so abruptly last night?" Maria asked.

"Um, I got in a fight" Kaira answered, wrapping a towel around herself.

"That is extremely irresponsible of you"

"Okay, _mom._ I'm okay, thanks for asking" Kaira said "Do you want to know how I got out of the fight? Bucky saved me"

"He what?"

"Yeah, but don't worry my identity is still intact. He took me to his place; his apartment number is 4B. Can you get me anywhere near it without being suspicious?"

"Already did. You're moving onto the second floor, 2A. Tenants cleared out last month and it's perfect for you" Maria said.

Kaira stood with her one suitcase, and bag on her shoulders in front of the apartment building. The one where she was supposed to spend her next six months. It was a beautiful building, really. The front was exposed brick and it stood out amongst the other buildings on that lane. Kaira hauled her suitcases up the stairs till the landing.

She didn't want Barnes to know she was moving in right now, she would tell him that she had been there since a month and he would just have to believe her.

She covertly got her stuff up the stairs, standing in front of apartment 2A. The owner had got her the keys and she quickly unlocked the door, bringing her luggage inside. This apartment was small.

Much cozier than the last one, because it seemed as if it was lived in.

She spent the evening unpacking everything. Thankfully, the electricity here was much more dependable than at the last place and she wouldn't have to go out at 3 am for coffee anymore.

For lunch, she made herself a chicken salad and decided to look up more information on the Winter Soldier. Maria Hill had given her a USB with every file about him on there. She plugged it in to her laptop and looked at the hundreds of files which showed up. Everything from newspaper articles, to gas station bills were there. His entire life as the Winter Soldier had been recorded. Thankfully, after the Hydra leak they had gotten access to surveillance tapes of him being wiped as well. She opened one dated in 2000's and saw him strapped in a chair, with metal restraints around his arm. It was distressing to see them torturing him but it came with his line of work. It would be a surprise if a metal-armed assassin _wasn't_ tortured by his captors.

A knock on her door threw her off concentration and she walked towards it, looking through the keyhole. It was some woman. Possibly her neighbor.

Kaira opened the door and the woman's smile formed. She had long red hair and striking blue eyes.

"Hello!" She said "I live next door"

"Hi" Kaira smiled.

"Welcome to the neighborhood! I've gotten you something to start you off" She extended her hands forward on which rested a white plate covered with tinfoil. Kaira looked at the plate suspiciously and the woman spoke "It's just brownies, dear. We know how annoying it can be when the gas connection isn't set up so we thought it would be nice to get you a little something"

Kaira took the plate from her hands and the woman looked at her expectantly.

"Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself! I'm Helen" She said, smiling again, and Kaira noticed another one of her neighbors stepping out from behind her.

"I live in 2B, and she, Cici-" She pointed to the younger girl behind her "She's in 2D, what's your name?"

"Annika" Kaira spoke, still holding the door open, unsure if she should call them inside.

"That's not a very American name" Cici spoke up and Helen shushed her.

"We made out from your accent that you must be American" Helen explained "Are you?"

Kaira nodded "Moved out of DC a few months back, my mother was Romanian, that's why the name"

"Oh, that's amazing! We love Americans" Cici grinned. Helen nudged her and Kaira raised an eyebrow.

"Why is that?" She asked, already losing interest.

"Oh, ignore her. Cici is just saying that cause there's a really nice American man living upstairs" Helen said and that brought Kaira back to the conversation.

"Oh, shut up, he's not _nice_. You're just saying that because he's super cute and mysterious" Cici said, shoving Helen a bit.

"Do you guys want to come inside?" Kaira asked, holding the door open wider. This was perfect. They both instantly nodded and stepped inside. They got comfortable on the couch.

"Coffee?" She asked and plugged in her machine at the kitchen island. It overlooked the living room and she could see the both of them. They agreed and Kaira prepared two cups.

"Tell me more about the American" She said, which delighted them to no end. It seemed like Bucky sure had a great effect on people, from the girl at the coffee house to these neighbors.

"Where do I even begin? He got here a few weeks ago and when we went to greet him, he was brooding throughout!" Cici said.

"And he's so strong, we see him at the gym training and his muscles are just!" Helen added.

Jackpot.

"What gym?" Kaira asked, stirring their cups and then bringing them over to him.

"Oh, the one down the street!" Cici said "And yesterday, we heard a scuffle in the stairwell and guess what we saw?'

"What did you see?" Kaira asked, although it felt like she knew the answer to that.

"He was carrying a woman in his arms up the stairs and he looked so concerned and she was completely unconscious and we think they may have gotten drunk together or something and he was being such a gentleman with her, and he handled her so delicately. Ten minutes later, he woke Cici up knocking furiously asking for gauze and a first aid kit" Helen said animatedly. Her coffee lay untouched on the table and Kaira tried to act nonchalant as she took these details in.

"Did you see her leave this morning?" Cici asked "Oh, what I would give to be carried by him and taken

to his apartment.

"Do you think that she's his girlfriend?" Helen asked and Kaira realized that they had just gotten off

topic and probably won't get back on it. She also realized there was no point lying to them.

"That was actually me" Kaira spoke softly, sitting across them.

"What?" Helen asked, her eyes taking Kaira in more closely now.

"I got in a fight and he got me out of there, that's why I wanted to know more about him" She

explained, trying to ignore the daggers Cici was glaring at her.

"Wow" Helen added "So you've been in his apartment. He never lets anyone inside"

"I don't think he had much of a choice" Kaira said "He patched me up where I got hurt but I still think I

need to get some more rest"

"Of course," Helen said and stood up along with Cici.

"It was great to meet you Annika" They said and Kaira led them out. What was it about James that

attracted so many people to him? It seemed like every woman she met was obsessing over him. It was

probably because he was always quiet and mind his own business. This also explained why he was

always on the run. People didn't seem to leave him alone. Kaira almost felt sorry for him then.

Kaira devoured the brownies and filled her stomach up the point that she didn't need to get out for

dinner. She was perfectly capable of protecting herself after years of training but going out late when

she didn't know the area wasn't a good idea. She would have to do a recon of the entire area by next

week. Kaira opened up her laptop and pulled up schematics of the neighborhood. Shield had

mapped the entire area a few years ago and they hadn't come in handy until now. She looked at the

maps studying them carefully and marking all the exits from this apartment building. In case Barnes ever

found out who she was, and made a run for it, she would have to know how to track him down.

It had been a few days since her interaction with James and Kaira woke up with yet another headache. It wasn't as bad as the day she passed out, but it would take a while to go away.

She made herself coffee and then decided if she should have breakfast. Her stomach made the decision for her as it grumbled and she realized she hadn't cooked a proper meal in a few days due to her unwavering laziness. She decided she could run down to Annie's Delight and grab a bagel or a waffle, and then she decided she would buy a waffle maker for her apartment and added it to her mental shopping list. She grabbed her coat and found her way till the nearest supermarket on her street.

She also remembered that Cici had told her where Bucky went to the gym. She would go tomorrow morning and check it out.

Kaira entered the supermarket and glanced around at the tiny space. She was used to huge stores in DC and this was somehow easier. She got the waffle maker from appliances and then went to get to the ingredients. The supermarket only had locals and Kaira tried to blend in. She pushed her hands deeper into her pockets anxiously as she looked at the signboard in Romanian which she couldn't understand.

She looked at a salesperson and asked "Baking products?"

"Scuzati-ma?" The vendor asked her. Kaira's phone started ringing, and she knew it was Tony.

"Um, baking. Cake. Waffles. Cookies" Kaira spoke, hoping they would pick up on any one of the words. The vendor said the same thing and Kaira almost grumbled in frustration. She answered the phone and heard Tony's voice on the other line. It was dumb to send her to Romania when she didn't even know the language. How was she supposed to get by without knowing the local language?

She started pointing to her waffle maker in the cart and hoped that emphasizing each word would make the vendor suddenly understand English.

"Kaira?" Tony asked and she started to get frustrated by the second. It was a bad idea to come to the supermarket.

"Hold on a second Tony" Kaira said.

A deep voice from behind interrupted her "The baking products are in Aisle 9"

Kaira turned to thank the stranger and fell short of words when she saw who it was. James Barnes stood behind her, dressed in a seemingly good disguise. He was wearing a heavy grey jacket, a blue shirt underneath and a baseball cap on his head. His hair was tucked behind his ears and he had a bit of a stubble.

"Uh, I'll call you back" She said and hung up the phone. Bucky turned to the vendor, said something in Romanian and the vendor went away.

"They don't understand English" He said "No matter how many times or how loudly you say it"

Kaira felt embarrassed at that. His voice was rough and hoarse like he hadn't spoken in days, which made Kaira think how often he actually spoke and who to. His eyes looked tired, even though it was 10 in the morning.

"Thank you, could you help me out with another thing?" She asked, wondering if it was too much but Bucky nodded. He fell into step with her as they made their way till Aisle 9.

"I can't read the labels so I won't be able to tell if I'm buying-" Kaira admitted.

"That's okay Annika" He said and helped her sort through the items she needed.

"Chocolate sauce…" She said and he reached for one of the bottles placed on the shelf and put it in her cart.

"Um, baking powder?"

He kept the packet in her cart.

"Flour" She added. Kaira probably could have done this herself, but she wasn't going to turn down a chance to interact with her mission. They started to make their way to the cashier counter and Kaira turned to him to make conversation and started with a basic question "You're American right?"

She obviously knew the answer. He looked very different in casual clothing and Kaira still wasn't used to it after seeing him in his Winter Soldier attire for so long. His jacket wasn't tight but she could still see his build through it. It was clear why Hydra had picked him. He was a perfect weapon. His arm was also carefully hidden underneath his large sleeve and metal glove.

He looked at her and nodded "The locals here are really accommodating, but it helps when you know the language"

Kaira paid for her items and realized he had only purchased two candy bars. She noticed his face go dark for a minute as if he was lost in thought and then he came back to reality.

"How long have you been here?" Kaira asked, hoping it wasn't a suspicious question and that it was something people would obviously ask each other.

Bucky paused for a minute before speaking and Kaira felt nervous that she might have spooked him but then he spoke "A few weeks"

They grabbed their packets and stepped out.

"Thanks again for helping me with the shopping. Seems like I'm always thanking you for something" Kaira said and smiled at him. Bucky just shrugged in response.

"It's okay" He said and then cleared his throat. "I, gotta go now" He nodded at her as if to acknowledge their ten minutes spent together and made his way to another store.

Kaira turned and headed home. She felt satisfied with the way that meeting had gone, although she had no new information. This was going to be a slow operation, she realized with a sigh.

 **a/n: six reviews for a new chapter? i had the most fun while writing this! Let me know if you guys would be interested in my tumblr and edits of bucky and my oc.**


	10. The Waffle

**Some fluff ahead!**

Kaira had planned to wake up early the next day so she could catch Barnes at the gym. She would build a believable routine here and slowly build her friendship with him as well, enough to get him to open up and trust her. She would get up at 4 and reach the gym at the corner street by 5. Hopefully just in time. Kaira realized her instructions for the rest of the mission were extremely vague and she decided to give Maria Hill a call.

"To what do I owe this pleasure, _Annika_?" She asked.

"Walk me through the mission statement again"

"It's 10 pm" Hill said "Kind of outside work hours"

"Well, my work hours are 24 hour long, so please get talking" Kaira sighed, and sat down in front of her couch. She had bought a fur rug a few days ago and somehow that made her entire new apartment cozier.

"What do you want to know?" She asked.

"After I gain Barnes's trust, and if he doesn't decide to move away, what am I required to do?" Kaira asked, picking at the threads on the rug. A cup of hot chocolate was set down next to her and Kaira had changed into her pajamas.

Maria sighed and answered "The short-term plan is to make sure he doesn't move away from that neighborhood, and if he does we have tabs on him. The long-term plan is to see how affected he is from Hydra, and if he's still the same man he was 70 years ago"

Kaira paused, retaking in the information and spoke "You should know I'm doing all this for Steve"

"I know. Steve's best interests are Bucky and your best interests are Steve. It all works out for me" Hill said and Kaira could almost feel her smiling through the phone "Is that all?"

"Yes, thanks Hill" Kaira said, satisfied with the amount of information she had for now. As an agent, she was never given the whole mission ahead of it. She just had to be okay with it.

Her eyes snapped open the next morning and Kaira groaned when she realized she couldn't fall back asleep. She changed into something that would be suitable for a workout- a cropped sweatshirt and black pants. Somehow this would be good for her because she always had procrastinated exercising and this gave her an excuse to do it. She grabbed her keys, water and her earphones before running towards the gym. Cici had given her the address, and it had been pretty easy to find since it was the only gym on the street. It was dark outside and when she entered the gym, it looked like it was empty. There was an attendant at the counter, sipping his coffee and he perked up when he saw her.

"New member?" He asked, in broken English. Kaira nodded and he passed a register towards her. She quickly entered in her details and he smiled gratefully at her "Pay at the end of the week" He looked down at the details and said "Hope you have nice day, Annika"

She then entered through huge double doors and to her surprise, there were a few people already there. She chose a treadmill machine, careful to not look around too suspiciously while she tried to find Barnes. She faced the mirror and nonchalantly glanced up at the reflection, and that's when she saw him. Bucky was at a corner and currently beating the shit out of a punching bag. His hair was in a low ponytail, and he was in a white shirt. Underneath he had a black shirt to cover his metal arm and Kaira wondered how he wasn't dying of heat already. It must be hard having to wear full sleeves all the time, but that's probably why he chose Bucharest since it wasn't too hot a place. None of the other people in the gym seemed to be noticing him, which came as a relief since it seemed like that guy never escaped attention. Kaira continued working out but kept her eye on him consistently.

"I can't believe I'm doing all this for a guy" She huffed, panting as she got off the treadmill "At least he has nice arms" She sat down on a nearby bench and leaned down to tie her shoes when an all too familiar voice interrupted her.

"Annika?"

She looked up way too quickly and noticed Bucky standing in front of her.

"Hi" She uttered, feigning surprise at seeing her fellow neighbor here.

"I didn't know you came to the gym" He said softly, standing a few feet away from her. She tried to brush it off casually, shrugging and started tying her hair up while answering him "I used to, but not at this time. I usually come around night, but after what happened late _that night_ , I figured mornings are better"

She had rehearsed it since she knew he would ask exactly this.

"Oh" He said.

"Uh, what about you?" She asked and finished tying her laces.

"I, uh, come here pretty much every day" He replied. He was keeping his answers to a minimum but that didn't necessarily mean he didn't want a conversation. He probably just forgot how conversations were supposed to go.

"I was just leaving" Kaira said and stood up, grabbing her bottle "What about you?"

She then realized Barnes didn't know she lived in the same building as him and it would be better if she casually brought it into conversation rather than he. She didn't need him to question her.

"Me too" Bucky said and she noticed he had opened his hair up again and it hung till his shoulders. They walked out of the gym together and then Kaira spoke up "It's a _miracle_ we live in the same building, otherwise I have no idea how I would have gotten home that day"

She was referring to when Barnes brought her unconscious to his apartment and he instantly turned to look at her.

"You live in that same building?" He asked, doubt etched on his face. Kaira felt a sliver of panic slip through but she remembered he had no reason to doubt her "Yeah, I thought you knew. I mean, Helen and Cici never really shut up so?"

His doubt turned to confusion and he nodded slowly.

"When did you move here?" He asked, showing first real interest in the conversation. He was probably checking to see if she was lying or not. Thankfully, Kaira was trained in that.

"A couple of weeks ago" She told him as they walked towards the building "That apartment is actually the friendliest to Americans so I guess that's how we both end up in the same place"

They reached the building door and Kaira took her chance "Do you want to grab some breakfast? Or a cup of coffee or something?"

Bucky looked at her, trying to asses the situation. She didn't look too dangerous.

"I mean I owe you at least a nice meal! For rescuing me from that asshole in the alley, and you helped me buy groceries…" She trailed off.

"Where would we go?" He asked after a pause, gripping the stair rail.

"Annie's Delight?" She suggested and he visibly relaxed. He knew the place in and out so he would have the advantage, in case she attempted something.

"Okay" He nodded and Kaira tried to not get affected by how unenthusiastic he looked.

"Great" Kaira grinned and they turned to walk towards the café.

"So..." She started. He looked sideways at her waiting for her to continue "What is up with the depressed look all the time?"

That caught him off guard since he hadn't really expected her to ask something like that so soon but he had the hint of a smile on his face.

"Nothing, just been through some stuff" He said.

Yep, like World War and falling off a train and being brainwashed to be a Hydra assassin.

"I know what you're talking about" She answered as they walked closely together. Their elbows brushed every so often but Bucky didn't seem to mind so Kaira didn't step away.

"Do you?" He asked, since obviously no one had been through what he had.

Kaira shrugged in response "We all have our baggage. Only difference is how we deal with it"

Bucky stayed silent at that and Kaira guessed it was because he wasn't dealing with his baggage in the slightest. Just running away and hiding. They reached the café and when they entered, it was pretty much in full swing. Customers were pouring in every second and luckily Kaira spotted a table for two in the corner.

"You take that seat, I'll go place an order" Kaira told him, nudging him towards the empty table. Bucky looked immediately uncomfortable and Kaira realized he didn't trust her with his drink. For all he knew, she could poison it. He was a little too paranoid for his own good. Technically she was a secret agent so he had every reason to be.

He shook his head and said "I'll get the order" He then walked off towards the counter without even asking what she wanted and Kaira stood there dumbfounded. They would probably place the order in turns so she grabbed the seat and sat down on it, looking around at all the other customers. She opened her phone and there was one message from Tony. It read "Kaira, I'm worried about you. Respond now"

Kaira almost groaned out loud and decided to finally tell him.

"Can't talk. On a mission. Laying low so please get off my ass Stark"

She had started out professional but gave up halfway. The sound of the chair moving distracted her and she looked up to see Bucky with a coffee in his hand and a muffin in the other. He sat down across her and looked so out of place that Kaira had to really stop herself from laughing out loud.

"What have you got?" She asked him, leaning forward on the table.

"Just a normal coffee" He replied, taking a sip. Kaira let out a chuckle and said "I'll go get mine"

It was funny for her to see the Winter Soldier drinking coffee in a family café. She got her usual order and joined Bucky back at the table.

"What is _that_?" He asked, staring at her double chocolate strawberry waffle. She laughed and said "It's amazing, you have to try it"

"I don't think I've ever seen anything like it" He said, his serious demeanor slipping away. He was almost acting like a normal person.

"Come on Bucky, just take a bite!" Kaira said and dug into the waffle. Bucky looked at her with surprise and then went back to warily studying the waffle. As if it was a threat.

"Well, if you're not going to try it, your loss" She shrugged, smiling and then took another bite. It was amazing and so fluffy. Bucky kept staring at it with amusement.

"This is the first time I have seen you with this much expression" Kaira blurted and then realized it might have come off a little mean. Looking up at him though, he didn't seem to mind and proceeded to finish his plain vanilla muffin. He definitely wanted a bite of the waffle. He was just too paranoid and too shy to ask for it.

"Oh my god, you're killing me with that sad face. If you're not going to ask for the last bite, I'm just going to stuff it in your mouth" Kaira said with a mouthful. Bucky leaned back on his chair and narrowed his eyes at her "I barely even know you"

Kaira looked up at him and realized that was true. She knew everything about his life but he had no idea who she was. Or at least, who Annika was.

"Okay, ask me anything" Kaira said, raising her eyebrow.

Bucky took another sip of his coffee and looked at her. She had been interrogated before but his eyes on her immediately made her shrink. He was looking so intensely.

"You're kind of scaring me right now with that murder stare" She said jokingly. His eyebrows immediately shot up and his eyes widened.

"I have to go" He said and stood up so fast she had a hard time figuring out what happened. He went to put his cash on the table and Kaira quickly reached for his hand and said "No, this meal is on me, don't pay"

He flinched at the contact but nodded and stuffed it back in his pocket. He then turned around and left.

"What the fuck?" Kaira spoke.

She was so dumb. He was recovering from being a serial killer and she had accidently reminded him of it. She put her head in her hands and groaned "I'm so stupid"

She opened up her phone and the files she was writing in.

She typed: "Progress is slow. Subject showed negative reaction at any mention of the word 'murder'. Flinched at human touch and is probably recovering from his amnesic state"

She finished her coffee and looked at the empty seat dumbly. Should she have gone after him? Probably not. So, she paid for her meal and left. She felt guilt in the pit of her stomach but she pushed it aside. This mission was going to be tricky, it bordered on the thin line between professional and emotional. It required her to get close to him but also at a safe distance. She would have to keep her feelings in check. Faking a close friendship should be easy but he was extremely unpredictable. It also didn't help that he was possibly the most attractive guy she had seen. But that would have to be pushed aside.

She reached her apartment and then wondered if she owed Bucky an apology. Possibly. She couldn't force it though, if she tried too hard he would get suspicious and it could risk her identity. She would just try again tomorrow, at the gym. Hopefully he wouldn't ignore her.

Kaira spent the day setting up her television connection since she needed something to do. She sunk into her couch with a pile of blankets on top of her and opened up her Netflix account. It had been almost 5 hours of her binge-watching shows with a mess of snacks around her when she got an email from Maria.

"Do you really want a play-by-play of every boring day I have?" Kaira wrote and sent.

"It's your duty to report in any contact with Barnes" was her response. Kaira sighed and quickly compiled all her memos and notes on him from the past days and sent it to her.

"I need a job" Kaira realized, looking around all the popcorn strewn on her floor and couch. Sure, she had a job already but it didn't really give her something to do all the time. She couldn't spend six months in her apartment. She opened up a page to look at the nearest job openings and scribbled down anything she could help with. Cake Decorator. Ballet Teacher. Candy Store Clerk. Dog Walker.

She had done ballet in high school and college but that was an eternity ago. She was pretty good at frosting and baking things so the bakery could really use her help.

"I can't believe I'm back to finding odd jobs after high school" She mumbled and then her doorbell rang. It was almost past 9 and if Cici or Helen were here, she would honestly have slammed the door on their faces. Kaira groaned and got up, lifting all the covers off of her and looked through the peephole.

It was Barnes.

"What?" She said and looked down at her disheveled state. She had changed into her pizza shorts and a very oversized pink hoodie and she was not at all okay with what she was wearing. She wondered if she had time to change and then said "Oh fuck it" and opened the door.

Bucky had changed out of his workout clothes too and it looked like he was relieved that she opened the door. He looked down at her shorts and Kaira internally groaned.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, it made no sense that he was here.

"I… owe you an apology" He spoke softly and Kaira raised her eyebrows.

"What for?"

"For walking out of the café, that was quite rude of me…and I figured I owe you an explanation" He said and looked down at his feet. Was he nervous?

Kaira's guilt came rushing back because apparently this whole time Bucky had been thinking it was his fault!

"You don't have to apologize for anything" Kaira immediately said "In fact, if anyone has to, it should be me" She trailed off as she looked at the package in his hands. She hadn't noticed it before. She almost made a joke about if he was here to kill her with a concealed weapon but stopped herself when she realized that was what got her into this mess in the first place. No talks of anything hostile or serial killer like, she mentally made a note.

"You were being really…" He trailed off, looking for the right word "…nice to me, and I'm not really used to that. So, I thought I could make up for it… by trying those waffles you really wanted me to?" He said, with doubt laced in his voice and lifted up the package.

Kaira felt something knot at her stomach and she instinctively smiled.

"You got the waffles?" She asked and Bucky nodded, still extremely hesitant.

"That really wasn't necessary Bucky, you don't owe me any apology" Kaira explained, she needed to remove all his guilt if possible "I'm glad you're here though, and that you finally accept that you wanted to try it!"

He almost laughed at that and then stopped himself.

"Do you want to come inside my apartment or are we going to eat it out in the hallway?" Kaira asked, leaning against the doorframe. It was as if Bucky's senses were heightened instantly as he realized he would be stepping into unknown territory, into a stranger's home. He hadn't thought this through apparently. He had been sure that she would say no. Everybody else was scared of him, why wouldn't she be?

Kaira noticed his discomfort and came up with an idea "How about we sit on the steps?"

Bucky looked up, mentally going over her compromise and nodded "That's better"

Kaira smiled at him to show it was completely normal to eat waffles in a stairwell, even though it was far from that. She grabbed her keys and then closed the apartment door behind her. She sat on the third step leading to the floor above and brought her knees to her chest. Bucky sat next to her and he kept the package in the middle.

"If Helen and Cici step out now, they would lose their shit" Kaira said to herself and opened the box. Bucky didn't ask her why they would, but he assumed it was because they were terrified of him too. Thankfully, there was cutlery provided and Bucky picked up the spoon.

"I eat waffles by hand but go ahead" She said and noticed he was wearing gloves, so he obviously couldn't eat by hand. He didn't know that she had seen his metal arm many times up close and therefore had no reason to hide it. He had gotten the same order as hers from the morning except this one had a pile of whipped cream and chocolate chips on top.

"You really went all out" Kaira exclaimed, turning towards him and Bucky hesitatingly dug in with the spoon. He broke off a bit and Kaira observed him closely as he popped the piece in his mouth. His expression was blank for the first second or so and then it's like everything in his face lit up.

"Do you love it?" Kaira asked, gleefully.

"This is… the most _amazing_ thing I've ever had" He said, after a pause. Kaira laughed at the pure joy and childlike wonder on his face. He looked so vulnerable and exposed. She also realized that this was probably the first good thing he had eaten since World War.

"I told you" She said.

"Thank you, Annika" He said and had his second bite. Kaira sat back, leaning against the handrail and observed the 70-year-old assassin as he devoured the waffle in their apartment stairwell.

 **I had a lot of fluffy Bucky feels while writing this chapter. be sure to leave me a small review about what you thought and your favorite part maybe?! Your comments really inspire me to bring out the next chapter!**


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